Zelda's Trial
by Aeris Deathscythe
Summary: Chapter 17 16 up! Link has died and Zelda sets out to find an antidote to the mysterious poison that killed him and resurrect him. See Bio for the Zeik Revolution.
1. Angel of Death

AN: Hey all! This was my first Zelda fic ever, and I started it four years ago. Sadly, it is still going on. The reason? I'm really lazy and suffer from an extreme case of writer's block. So I decided to write the fourteenth chapter, only to realize that the whole story could do with some revising. So behold! The revised edition of Zelda's Trial!!!!!!

REVISED

Chapter One: Angel of Death

Link screamed in pain, his restraints nearly buckling under his power as his body convulsed, throwing him forward, and Princess Zelda winced, clutching his hand even tighter. 

He'd been screaming for days now, his body writhing uncontrollably with each tremor that coursed through his weakened body, leaving him gasping for air at its end. Zelda had been forced to order that Link be tied to his bed for his own safety; his pain was worse enough as it was without him banging his head on the wall, though that would surely put him out of his misery for a time. His sickness....it had begun three weeks ago; the first week he'd been merely tired all the time, the second he'd grown sicker and sicker until he could barely move, and now this...

No matter how many potions Zelda gave him it never seemed to help, only prolong the inevitable. And she couldn't lose him, not now, not ever. He was too important to Hyrule, to its people, and to her. But no one knew what was wrong, or how to cure it. On that first day when Link had not been able to rise out of bed because of pure exhaustion she had sent letters forth to every doctor and potion chemist in Hyrule and the lands surrounding it, asking for help. Link had been amused by her concern, saying that it was not necessary, and that he was fine, but something in her told her that it wasn't. 

And by the time the doctors had gathered together at Hyrule Castle, Link was immobile in his bed, damp with a cold sweat and barely breathing. 

They couldn't figure it out, no one could; they only knew that he had been struck by some horrible disease that would soon prove fatal. 

Fatal for Link, and for her, Zelda knew.

Spasms ran through Link as he fought to regain control, and his breath came in short gasps. The Tri-Force mark on the back of his hand had turned black, giving off a crimson glow that hurt Zelda's eyes, but she stayed with him, each scream stabbing her heart like a thousand knives.

She had tried to heal him with her spells, but it was all to no avail. They only let her know how helpless she was to help him. 

There was something wrong with his sickness, something entirely unnatural. But what Zelda did not know. She could only hope that the Tri-Force piece of Wisdom would offer her some knowledge, but it continued to fail her.

Tears stained her pale face as she glanced over at the desk next to her, one covered with exotic herbs. She had sent riders from the castle to search the land for medicine plants that might prove useful, and they had responded with urgent eagerness. But it was useless; everything was useless. Nothing she could do or anything anyone else could do would ever help- she'd learned that in the past six sleepless days. 

Link screamed again, his hoarse voice echoing through the night, waking sad souls from their slumber. Zelda's people were aware of the terrible tragedy that would soon fall upon their princess and her hero, and they could only offer their undying support and sympathy to her.

His scream was cut short as he passed out, to Zelda's relief; for now he would not feel any pain for a time. It killed her that he hurt so much, that there was nothing that could numb his pain. 

Leaning down, she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

It was fading. 

"No," she said softly, as the beating slowed.

"NO," she said again, lifting her head, her eyes wide with fear.

Link looked peaceful now, at ease, his mouth almost smiling.

"No Link! You can't die on me! NO! You hear me?! You CAN'T!" Zelda screamed, hitting his chest in anger. His eyes opened halfway, and he looked at her in confusion, his blue eyes questioning.

"Zelda....?" 

"Link." Her heart skipped two beats and jumped to her throat. There was a weakness in his voice that she had never heard before, and never wanted to hear again. She swallowed harshly, dreading the words he would say next, and her eyes began to blur with unshed tears as she tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry..."

She barely heard the apology, so light was his whisper, but she knew what he had said.

"Sorry for what?" she asked him, clasping his hand within her own. Soft tears began to dot and darken his shirt as she blinked rapidly, forcing her anguished sobs away.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to protect you anymore," Link answered, straining his voice in order to be heard. The countless hours of screaming had taken its toll.

Zelda's breath caught in her throat, and she felt her heart pinch at the guilt in his eyes. She shook her head fiercely. "No Link, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine. And you have nothing to apologize for."

"You always were a bad liar," he replied, his mouth turned up slightly in a sad smile.

"Please... Don't leave me... I need you..." Zelda choked out-what was left of her composure lost-and Link gave her another one of his smiles, adorable at any other time but this.

"No you don't, not anymore. You just think you do," he said, and tried to sit up, forgetting that he was tied down. Immediately Zelda unbuckled his restraints sat next to him, holding him upright. 

His eyes locked onto hers, darker now than she remembered. "You--" he began, then inhaled sharply as his heart constricted in pain and a tremor slid up into his chest. Clenching his teeth, he fought to keep still until Zelda was out of the way, unwilling to hurt her.

But she did not move away.

Her arms went around him, pulling him into a hug, one hand holding his head against her shoulder so that it would not snap back.

With all her available strength, Zelda held Link tight against her, at once realizing just a little more the torture that Link was feeling. She could feel the tremor each time it rose up inside him, almost sending her flying backwards, and suddenly, suddenly she could no longer control her sobs.

"It's okay," Link comforted her, in a moment of calm, his warm breath on her neck. But still she did not release him; instead burying her face in his shoulder as she cried into him. "I'll always be with you," he said softly, into her ear. Zelda did not answer, only cried that much harder.

Link let her be for the moment, and held up his hand to study the black Tri-Force mark. "The Tri-Force of Courage, I no longer have it," he murmured, and Zelda pulled away to look at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and now, filled with alarm.

Her voice quavered. "What?" 

"See for yourself," Link replied, and Zelda loosened her grip on him long enough to look at his hand. The tri-force mark was fading away. The edges were disappearing, crumbling, gradually making its way to the empty center.

"How?! Where is it going?!"

"If I had to guess, you probably have it now, Zelda," Link answered, his gaze still transfixed on the dying mark.

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

"You need it now, not me..." the Hero of Time replied, his eyes now on her.

Zelda ceased her ranting and focused on Link's tired words, and the dark blues eyes that seemed to plead with her, begging for something she did not want to give. "Please...I..." she began, but was unable to finish as Link suddenly slid from her arms.

"Protect it for me," he whispered, and Zelda, heartbroken, let him down gently, placing his head on the pillow.

"I can't, not without you," she told him, unwilling do what he wished...because she knew precisely what it meant.

"Zelda, please...You know you have to and you will, now." Link sighed peacefully as he settled himself more comfortably in his bed.

"You're not going to leave me," she replied firmly, but she knew he would. Link gave her a sad smile, and for a moment, they only held each other's eyes.

After a moment, he spoke. "Zel, I want you to know.... I've always...." and he faded off, his eyes closing in surrender to death.

Zelda panicked. "What? You've always what, Link?" she pressed desperately, bringing his hand to her cheek, hoping he would wake to answer her question. If only he would wake...

Link coughed, painfully. "I....." he began, and that was all he managed to say. 

Link was gone. 

Zelda screamed in anguish as his last breath left him, and her sobs came anew. "Link...LINK. LIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Across all of Hyrule, echoing throughout the Lost Woods and reaching deep beneath the blue waters of Lake Hylia every living creature heard Zelda's cry, and they knew then, that Link had passed away. And every Zora, Goron, Kokiri and Hylian hung their head in sadness for the hero that had left them, and for the princess that had loved him. 

Link was dead.

And Zelda had an idea. The Tri-Force of Wisdom had not deserted her, because she now knew; what illness could be caused unnaturally?

In her moment of pure agony she knew what she had to do. "Rauru!" she called, "Sage of Light! Here my cry and please come to me in this moment of death," she said, forcing herself to stand, though her knees threatened to give beneath her. "The seventh sage needs your help... " she finished in a whisper.

Almost immediately a bright light lit up the room as Rauru appeared at her request. He knew what she wanted, and would willingly agree. If he didn't, it would break the last bit of sanity she had and Hyrule would not only lose Link, but their princess.

"Zelda..... I'm sorry...." Rauru said, his sad eyes not on the princess but on the one that had left her.

"I need your help," Zelda replied, ignoring his condolences. "I need you to preserve Link's body while I find a cure for his sickness." 

"But there is no cure. " Rauru told her, his eyes now on her, looking slightly confused.

"I have to try!" Zelda replied furiously. "I know that it wasn't just some unfortunate happening that Link now lays here, dead. Someone poisoned him, and I have to find out who, and how to cure him."

"And if you manage to do so?" Rauru asked, his eyes narrowed in a frown.

"Then I will resurrect Link and cure him."

"Resurrection takes powerful magic that even you, the seventh sage, may not have the strength to do. And even if you can bring him back it may be too late for the cure," the Sage of Light countered. 

"It's never too late! And I know I can bring him back....." Zelda looked down at her hands. "I know that I can't ask for help from the other sages- they need their strength to continue holding back Ganondorf in his realm- but I can do this without them." Zelda lifted her chin to look Rauru in the eye, a determined glint in her own. "I have to. So will you help me or not?"

"As you wish, wise one. And good luck to you," Rauru replied, resigned. And lifting his arms he began the spell, only to have Zelda stop him. 

"Wait, before you go, " she said, quickly returning to Link's side. Rauru did as asked, but gave her a curious look as she shook slightly, as if nervous.

But then his eyes widened as the princess slowly lowered her head to press her lips against the hero's own, kissing the lips that were never truly hers in a sad farewell, and finding them still warm. And then reluctantly she rose, and watched with silent tears as Link's body vanished and Rauru's light left the room. 

Outside, a heavy rain fell as the goddesses themselves wept in the sorrow of loss, and lightening flashed, their anger unleashed. 

Princess Zelda glanced out the window at the brilliant streaks of energy, her heart throbbing painfully in her chest. But she knew what she had to do.

The Tri-Force of Courage would not go unused; she would find a cure, and Link would once again live.

AN: So, that, was that. I think this chapter is a whole lot better now. What do you guys think?


	2. The TriForce of Courage

AN: Yeah, so here's the revised version of chapter two! I should really spend a lot more time revising but there's not much of a point other than to correct a few of my more horrible mistakes and clean it up a bit. Also, it gets me back into thinking about the story.

I have a few choice words for a certain reviewer when I finally update though.

Link, Hero of Hyrule, seventeen but saw seven more;

Fought the King of Evil and restored peace, only

To die by a sickness of which there was no cure,

May he rest in peace, protected by the Sages.

Chapter Two: The Tri-Force of Courage

The funeral was held a few days later. Everyone assumed that Link's body was inside the casket that was being lowered into the grave, but Princess Zelda knew better.  Besides herself, only her father and Dampe the grave keeper knew that the casket had been filled only with white roses. To the rest of the world it would be as if Link were there, in the ground, instead of frozen in a timeless place, watched over by a sage.

Glancing at the gravestone that had been specially made in honor of Link, Zelda swallowed back her tears.

It was of the Master sword in its pedestal, carved out of the finest white marble. Many of Hyrule's best writers had volunteered to write Link's epitaph, but Zelda had decided only to have his name written in large block letters on the gravestone.

"We will remember Link not because of what is written on a stone in a cemetery; we will remember him because every child will be taught his story by heart, and will forever be taught," she had said, silently knowing that she would never have children, and everyone had agreed.

Long after the service had ended, Zelda remained by Link's grave, getting drenched by the rain that had made it so short. While she knew the grave held no body, she still knew that there was one.

Tears were mixing with the rain, or was the rain her tears?

Zelda, her feet heavy, closed the short distance that had stretched between her and the gravestone.  She sank beside it, one hand grasping the hilt of the stone Master Sword, the other resting on the base.  It was smooth beneath her hands, smooth and cold...like bone...

She drew away from the stone quickly, her heart pounding at the thought.  She would not allow Link to turn to bone...to have his flesh rot and fade till only skeleton remained.

She had to save him, had to revive him, had to find some way of bringing him back to her.

She would die without him.

The pain that claimed her was unforgiving, unrelenting...and there because the man she loved had died.

Like the shadow that covered his grave, she too would soon fade to translucent darkness.

From their place in the Chamber of Sages, the six blessed ones watched Zelda's misery. Saria was crying, deaf to the words of comfort that Nabooru supplied and oblivious to anyone else's tears.

Ruto herself was biting back her own tears; for she had shed too many already, and she tried to focus on what Impa was saying.

"If I know her highness, nothing will stop her from finding a cure for Link," the Sage of Shadow said, crossing her arms and nodding firmly, though her glistening eyes gave away the sadness she was trying to ignore. "That boy means too much to her."

"But she believes someone poisoned him, and is set for revenge as well," Rauru replied softly, looking older than he ever had, his face pale and drawn, his eyes dull.

"It is possible that she could know something that we do not; she does possess the Tri-Force of Wisdom," Impa reminded the Sage of Light.

"And now she has the Tri-Force of Courage as well," Darunia added, from his place on the floor.  This was the first time he had spoken in a long while, and his normal gruff voice was easily twice as hard to understand.

"If only Ganondorf had lost the Tri-Force of Power before being sealed...then Zelda could make the world a paradise," Rauru murmured sorrowfully.

Impa shook her head. "It would never be possible. She would miss him too much, and never truly be happy. And paradise could not be built from a heart full of sorrow."

"Could we help her? Find a cure for Link I mean?" Saria joined in suddenly, green eyes wide with hope and tears.

Nabooru nodded in agreement. "I've always liked that kid. And it seems like Zelda won't be able to hold her kingdom together without him."

"If we can, we shall help her...but if it is to be done, do not do it for her. She must be the one, if Link is to once again live," Rauru relinquished, and lifting his eyes to the heavens he whispered, "May the goddesses be with her."

That same night, Zelda left the safety of her castle to find her way to the Gerudo fortress, disguising herself once more as Sheik, except this time her disguise was enhanced by a dark hooded cloak.  She told no one that she was leaving, and left no note.

What she needed to do, no, what she had to do, was to train with the Gerudo and learn how to fight in preparation for the journey she knew was before her.  If she were to somehow find a cure, and resurrect Link, she would need their help.

Link had once told her about how he'd been captured by the Gerudo warriors when attempting to save a group of carpenters, but Zelda knew that was not a possibility anymore. After Ganondorf had been defeated and Link had returned to his own time, a peace treaty had been signed between the Gerudo and the Hylians. She would surely not have to worry about imprisonment....unless they did not know who she was. And that was an idea in itself.

Zelda decided that when she arrived she would keep who she was a secret in the hope that it would give her an opportunity to test out what little fighting skill she had. Link had taught her how to use a blade, but she wasn't entirely sure of her skill. She was much better with the bow and arrow.

After a long ride on Epona, whom she had decided upon using instead of one of her own horses, she reached the fortress. If Link had not previously taught her the horse's song, it would have been an even longer journey.

Link.

She wished that she had told him all that she had wanted to say before he had died. It would have been appropriate at her birthday ball, but she hadn't even known her true feelings then. And that night......that night would have been perfect.....but she had been a coward. Now she could only remember it with regret.

She hoped that he appreciated what she was going through.

Zelda had chosen her prettiest dress for her birthday ball, not only to look her absolute best, but to also get a certain someone's attention. And now she was being poked, prodded and squished into a tightly corseted dress, and almost regretting choosing it; almost.

She had to admit that she did look good. The light pink color of the dress looked comely with her pink lips and cheeks, and the front hem of the dress was high enough so that it wasn't indecent, but low enough to show a hint of what was covered. The corset was tied with ivory-colored laces, and the straps of the dress hung around her shoulders, slimming down from an inch of thickness to only a centimeter where it was attached to the dress. Her skirt billowed out like a cloud, emphasizing the slimness of her waist.  She could only hope that the dress would be enough to catch his attention.

"My lady, what shall we do with your hair?" Anya, her lady in waiting asked. Zelda thought for a moment. He had told her that he liked her hair down, but she realized with disappointment that that style was not suited for the dress.

"Pull it back and clip it with this," she decided, handing the girl a pretty rose clip that Link had given her. "Then leave the rest hanging down in the back." Anya obliged, and soon Zelda was ready to make her entrance. Making a silent prayer to Nayru, she entered the ballroom.

The music was loud and lively and the room was filled with laughter. Princess Zelda barely noticed the appreciative stares of the many handsome noble men as she walked down the white carpet that led to her throne. She was too busy searching for Link, who she figured, would show up late. He was always fighting some type of monster, always defending Hyrule.

She tried to pay attention as everyone smiled and bowed to her when she walked by, but she was too anxious.

Seated in his throne, her father waited patiently for her to reach him, wondering all the while where Link was. He had asked the boy to do the honor of crowning Zelda in the birthday ceremony, but he was nowhere to be found.

Link had only been a few minutes late to the ball- he'd been there in plenty of time before Zelda would arrive anyway-but then he had seen movement up in the left balcony and immediately a warning signal had gone off in his head. He had taken the servants entrance up there and had found two stalfos, and now he was in a life or death battle with the annoying duo. He was doing his best to win the battle without getting hurt in the least, so that Zelda wouldn't panic at her party, but it was very difficult in the cramped quarters of the balcony.  He only needed to hit the stalfos once more with his blade before it would go down and used his mirror shield to prepare for its next attack.

The other stalfos, catching him off guard, suddenly jumped over his head and behind him, and the pair began to close in. Looking to his side Link saw his escape and abruptly jumped off the balcony.

He hit the floor in a roll and sprung up beside a stunned Zelda.

"Link, what is going on?" she asked in concern, feeling a little confused for all her infinite wisdom.

"Stalfos in the balcony. Happy birthday Zel," Link replied with a slight grin, and on cue the two stalfos followed his lead and jumped down next to him.

While the guests fled to the edges of the room in horror, Zelda ran behind her throne, her father close behind. Link himself circled around the undead enemies, his shield raised.

Watching Link now with more fear than she had ever felt before, Zelda tried not to cry out loud as he surged forward and stabbed the stalfos as it was mounting an attack. It quickly disappeared.

The second one came after him then, jumping over his head, but this time Link was ready and he was already there with a slash of his sword.

Both stalfos were now gone.

Sheathing his sword and slinging his shield over his back once more, he turned to the king and princess with a bow. "Your majesties," he said, trying not to grin.

The king, outraged with his inept guards, hurried off to chat with them after briefly patting Link on the back. Meanwhile, the guests had resumed their previous activities, commenting on Link's courage. The boy seemed to fear nothing!

They were wrong however. He did have one fear.

"Link," Zelda said softly, feeling a little awkward in her father's absence.

"Zel." Link tried to look her over without appearing to do so, succeeding when Zelda looked down at the floor, her cheeks rosy with shyness.

"I wondered where you were..." she said, looking up and meeting his eyes.

He shrugged. "I was here, but then the stalfos..." he trailed off, trying not to stare at her.

"Wonderful creatures, are they not?" Zelda replied, with a small smile. Quietly, she berated herself for saying something so stupid, but Link just grinned at her and agreed to the joke.

"Yeah, lots of fun."

They remained there smiling at each until Zelda said, "you can put your equipment by the thrones if you would like."

Nodding, the Hero of Time unbuckled the belt holding his sword and shrugged of the rest of his weapons, taking off his shield. A moment later there was a small mound between the thrones.

"Feel better?" Zelda asked, half-smiling.

"Much, thank you, " he replied, smiling back.

"Remember, you're no longer my bodyguard tonight, only my most honored guest for this evening," she said, suddenly self-conscious under his gaze.

Link nodded and stretched out his arms, feeling the freedom of his muscles with relief; his equipment was extremely heavy. Zelda watched his arms go wide and stifled the urge to dive into them and throw her arms around him, instead taking the time to study him.

He wore a white silk jacket embroidered with gold and clasped with tiny gold tri-forces at the neck and wrists, which fit him perfectly. She could have stared at his heavenly body for hours if she was able, but she wouldn't get the chance to do either hold him or watch, for at that moment Saria's voice rang out,

"Link! There you are!"

Link turned to greet his friend and Zelda sighed in disappointment. "Hi Saria. What's up?"

"I heard there was a battle. Stalfos?" she said, standing before him and Zelda.

"Yeah, two, in the left balcony. Gone now," he replied carelessly.

"Thanks to the hero of time." Zelda added, sending Link a grateful look.

 Saria looked curiously from Link to Zelda then replied, "Yes, he's always there when you need him, isn't he? But come Link, Ruto, Nabooru and Malon want to talk with you."

Link nodded and turned to look at Zelda, for permission she knew. She was hit by a variety of feelings. She didn't want to seem mean and say no, though she couldn't possible say no to Link anyway, but she didn't want him to leave her. Plus, she wondered if he _wanted_ to leave her, if he didn't want to be with her and preferred the sages and Malon.

Malon. The farm girl claimed to love Link, confessing to it once, and Saria, Ruto, and Nabooru had seemed glad for her, and had encouraged her, but Zelda had found herself unable to even smile.

"Go on," she told him, her heart screaming, no no no no no.

Frowning slightly he held out his hand to her, further tearing her into pieces. Weakly, she gave him her hand, her knees going weak as he lifted it to his mouth and kissed it.

"Zel? Come with me," Link said, still holding her hand.

Though she was loathe to pull it away, she did. Link looked a little surprised, and almost hurt, but he didn't say anything. "I can't. With father gone I should stay by my throne," she refused, smiling at him just a little. "But you go. I'll be fine here."

"Alright," he agreed, with some reluctance. "I'll be back though." She wished he would. He gave her a quick smile and followed Saria to where the sages and Malon stood waiting. Zelda watched, her heart twinging as Malon threw her arms around Link and kissed him on the cheek. She couldn't bear to see anymore then and turned away, her eyes filling with tears. She leaned on the back of her throne, trying not to cry.

"What ever is the matter princess?" Impa asked softly, from behind her.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Zelda replied, wiping her eyes.

"Does this have anything to do with Link?" Impa asked her forlorn princess. Zelda turned and lifted her chin with an attempt at indignation.

"No. Why would it? Why should I care that Link cares little for me and a lot for everyone else?" she replied, dropping her chin as her denial diminished.

"Did he say that to you?" Impa looked shocked.

"No, but it feels that way."

"Did you ever think that maybe he feels the same way about you? That he thinks that you don't care for him?"

Zelda looked dismayed. "No. Why would he think that? I....."

"Well you obviously think that he doesn't care for you." Zelda didn't reply, but frowned instead. "I suggest you make sure that he knows how you feel. He may think that you don't care for him and so doesn't want to bother you. You never know."

"But I lo----," Zelda began, and then stopped herself, surprised. Impa stared at her, stunned.

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Very well your highness. I will leave you be. Think about what I've said."

"Yes, Impa," Zelda replied, and her guardian left with a parting smile full of sympathy.

Reluctantly, Zelda found herself watching Link and Malon again and found that they were now holding hands. Feeling as though she were being stabbed through the heart she leaned against her throne once more, fearing she would fall, and buried her head in her arms.

Link had been a little surprised when Malon had kissed him on the cheek, and was even more so now that she had slipped her hand into his own. He looked at her in confusion but she just smiled prettily up at him.

Not wanting to be rude and take his hand away, he left it in her grasp, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Currently, Nabooru was talking about some new training program the Gerudo tribe had started his mind, and his mind wandered immediately to Zelda.

Nayru, she looked so beautiful tonight. And now that his mind had wandered, his eyes did as well, and he found himself looking up at where Zelda stood. Panic seized him when he saw her head in her arms, and without thinking he pulled his hand away from Malon and raced up the white carpet and stairs to reach her. The farm girl stared after him in hurt surprise, and everyone else did as well, confused.

"Zelda?!" Link called, his voice catching. Many people heard him and looked at him strangely. Zelda, startled, did as well, then straightened and looked at him imploringly.

"Link? What is it?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You were leaned over and…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say, feeling a little foolish. But then he saw the tears in her eyes. "What's the matter?"

Zelda blinked. The matter? Everything. "Nothing."

"You're crying." Reaching forward, Link gently brushed a fallen tear away with one of his fingers. She closed her eyes at the touch, producing more.

"I'm trying not to," she said, opening her eyes. Everyone was staring. "Please. Everyone is staring."

"Come with me, and tell me what is wrong," he replied, taking her hand within his own and leading her off towards the back side door. Soon they were in a hall lit by fiery torches. Link didn't let go of her hand. "Now, why are you crying?"

"Please, Link," Zelda pleaded with tear-filled eyes.

"Zel...Whatever's upset you I can make it go away," he said softly.

"Not this time."

"Zelda? What is it?"

Her throat went dry at the memory. She could have told him then, how she felt, but she had lacked the courage. And now she had the courage but he wasn't alive to tell, and he was the reason she even had it.

Lost in her memories she didn't realize that she had reached the Gerudo fortress. She entered it quite easily, but the real trial would come when the Gerudo saw her.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" she heard a Gerudo warrior call, and instantly she was surrounded by a dozen or so of the female warriors.

 "Who are you, prisoner?" the leader asked, a Gerudo with red hair that reached to her knees.

"I've come to train with you, if you find me strong enough," Zelda replied, lowering her voice slightly so that they wouldn't recognize her.

Incredulous murmurs sprang up all around. "Train with us? You must be crazy."

This was not how it was supposed to be, and quelling her nervousness and relying on the Tri-Force of Courage Zelda said, "at least let me fight you to prove myself."

The leader gave her an appraising look, but seemed interested. "Alright. Nella!" she shouted, and another Gerudo stepped forward. She was rather young looking, but appeared eager to prove herself against Zelda.

Drawing her blade, Zelda prepared herself for battle, only to have the Gerudo leader shake her head.

"You will fight with the weapon that we choose. The staff," she said, tossing one to Zelda, who sheathed her sword and caught the proffered weapon.

A sense of bravery swelled within her, destroying any worry over using a new weapon, and she nodded at her opponent.

Nella charged and Zelda stepped out of the way and hit her across the back. She felt a little guilty for hurting the girl, but it was all for a good cause. Grunting, Nella came at her again with serious of swings. Zelda blocked each one and even got in a hit of her own, knocking the staff out of the girls hands. She stared at Zelda, surprised and angry, then bowed and moved behind her leader.

"Nella is only a rookie, and hasn't been training long. Her defeat is nothing to be proud of," the Gerudo said, stepping forward and picking up the fallen staff. "I will face you now. I am Hestis, leader of the Gerudo tribe."

Zelda felt fear now, but then Link's image came to her mind. She had never seen him truly afraid, never seen him run from battle. Taking a calming breath, she readied her staff.

Hestis came at her with a serious of harsh blows that left her hands stinging but she held on to her staff. She tried to move offensively but Hestis slapped one of her hands and Zelda was forced to let go of one end. The Gerudo warrior laughed.

Zelda silently reminded herself of the boy she was fighting for. Link. His name gave her new courage and she grasped her staff with new determination. Hestis looked at her in surprise.

"You still want to fight though you are clearly not a match for me?" she said, leaning lazily on the end of her own staff.

Link. Zelda felt him in her heart and swung at Hestis. She blocked it effortlessly. LINK. Her heart was screaming for him now, and the princess attacked the Gerudo leader again and again and again. Link. Link  Link  Link  Link Link  Link  Link  Link  Link.

"Link Link Link LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zelda screamed his name over and over, her attacks growing stronger as well as the pain and longing in her heart. Hestis staff flew out of her hands and she looked at Zelda in disbelief as she continued screaming the Hero of Times name as she collapsed, in tears.

Soon her voice had gone so hoarse that she could only whisper his name, and the Gerudo gathered around her in confusion. A voice then said softly, "Princess Zelda."

The warriors started in surprise, realizing now who had come to them, the princess of Hyrule herself. Silence descended upon them as they parted to let the Sage of Spirit through. It had been Nabooru who had spoken.

"Zelda," she said again, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Zelda looked up through her tears, Links name still on her lips. "Link," she whispered.

"I know. Come with me."

"It's nothing, really," Zelda told him, drying her eyes.

"You can't lie to me Zel. Something is wrong," Link replied, his voice full of concern.

"Link." She loved his name, just saying it, feeling the motions of it on her tongue, made her happy.

"Tell me," he pleaded, dipping his head to get her attention. She looked up at him, into his eyes, feeling her heart skip.

"Just know that I care about you, Link, and I always will," Zelda told him, and his expression changed from that of concern to worry.

"What are you talking about Zel?" Link asked, his eyes widening slightly. He didn't know _what _to think at that moment.

"Please, Link. I want you to know that you mean a lot to me, and if anything ever happened to you...." Zelda couldn't finish; she began to cry. Instantly Link dropped her hand and put his arms around her, hugging her tight. She sobbed on his shoulder, holding him in her arms, aware of the smooth, strong muscles of his back under her hands. When she was under control she reluctantly moved out from his grasp, not wanting it to be him to pull away and wreak havoc on her confused heart and mind.

"I'm going to freshen up. I can't go out there looking like this. There'd be too many questions."

"Let me go with you, there were stalfos here before.. and I don't want you by yourself," Link said, concern replaced the odd expression on his face as she moved away from him.

She smiled at him and waved him off. "I'll be fine, go enjoy the ball."

"Zel......." Link resisted, not so eager to leave her alone.

"I command you, as Princess of Hyrule, and the seventh sage, to return to the ball," she said in her most regal voice, but even at this he refused to leave. "That's treason, you know," Zelda informed him, and he grinned.

"At least let me run and check the way before you go."

"Always a body guard, never a---." She stopped.

"Never a what?" Link asked curiously.

"Never mind. Fine, go look if you want to," she said hastily, and he did so, returning within the next minute. "Is it safe?" she asked, and Link nodded.

"It still makes me uneasy, you being alone."

"I'll be perfectly safe," Zelda replied, and curtsied. Link just shook his head as she left him for her room.

"So I need to find a cure," Zelda finished, taking a sip of the warm drink Nabooru had given her.

"Yes. Rauru told us of your intentions," the sage replied.

"I came to the Gerudo to train with them," Zelda continued, feeling the need to explain further.

Nabooru smiled slightly. "It doesn't look like you have much to learn."

Zelda shook her head. "I'm nowhere near as good as Link is."

Nabooru noted the present tense. "All it takes is practice. Visit the temples. Fight the enemies there, follow Link's path. I expect he told you of his travels?"

"He did, that first day we returned to our own time, after he defeated Ganondorf. He wasn't sure if it had all really happened. It seemed too impossible. He didn't know if anyone would remember what he had done."

"But you did," Nabooru continued for her.

"How could I forget? When he came to see me, sneaking through the gardens again, we stared at each other in disbelief for a good five minutes. I couldn't believe he had come to see me again, why would he? I had caused him so much trouble. But I was glad he came. I had hoped that he would."

"What did he tell you?"

"Link....." the little princess known as Zelda said softly, once she got over her shock at seeing him once more. She didn't think he'd want to, that he'd want to go back to how his life used to be.

"Zelda?" His voice was so soft and young, so boyish. It was hard to believe that this ten year old boy had defeated the king of evil. Looking back at him, Zelda remembered him as being adorable.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, and Link scuffed his foot and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. The little girl realized then how that sounded and hurried to him. "I didn't think you'd want to see me, not after all the trouble I've caused you."

Link looked relieved. "Was it all real? No one remembers anything."

She smiled warmly at him. "I do. Thank you again."

He grinned a bit, embarrassed. "You're welcome."

"Come sit," she said to him, taking a seat on the grass, by the flowers. Link obliged, sitting down beside her.

After a moment Link spoke. "Navi's gone."

She didn't know what to say to that but, "I'm sorry…"

_LINK! _Navi's voice called, and he looked up suddenly to see her floating above his head. He grinned with joy. Zelda looked up as well, then back at Link, a mixed expression on her face. Even as a child she had wished that she could make him smile with joy at the sight of her. It had always been a longing never fully realized or understood, but she did now.

"Navi! I thought you had left me for good."

_The Deku tree sprout told me to stay with you. He said that the danger isn't over yet._

"Not over yet?!" Zelda and Link exclaimed together and Navi fluttered.

_He said that there is always someone to fight, and that you'll need my help while you're still little._

At this Zelda and Link relaxed considerably. _I just came to tell you that. But right now I have to go, but I'll be back soon. Promise! _With that, Navi flew away. They hadn't seen her since.

"Did she help you a lot?" Zelda asked curiously, when a long moment had passed.

"Sometimes. But other times she would scare me to death by talking suddenly in the middle of a battle, or tell me things I already knew, or like now." Link grinned at her.

"Oh."

Smiling shyly at her, the hero of time continued. "But you helped me out the most. You taught me the ocarina songs so that I could get to the temples."

Zelda smiled. "I'm glad. What were the temples like?" She had always wanted to know.

"The forest temple had four Poe sisters that I had to catch in order to face Phantom Ganon. I also got the fairy bow there. That wasn't so bad. What I really hate are the wall masters. They give me the creeps," Link replied, and went on to explain in detail his trip through the forest temple.


	3. Mysterious Stranger

Disclaimer: I forgot to put this in here. I don't own Zelda, yada yada yada.

Honor: 'onestly, people 'ave probably thought ye've forgotten about this story as well!

Aeris: (glares at Honor) Ya know, maybe I should kill you off….

Telar: (pales) Please no, I don't know if I could stand it…

Aeris: (smiles at Telar who smiles carefully back then blinks as the author swoons)

(A few minutes later)

Aeris: (is revived) Yes well, where was I? Here's the revised version of chapter three, and pay no attention to the pirate and the thief above! Unless you'd care to read about them and see what I've been doing instead of updating this story…

Chapter Three: Mysterious Stranger

Princess Zelda stood in front of the forest temple, remembering Link's words. He had used the hook shot to get inside it, but now she had the long shot. She used it to get inside and then entered the door.

She found herself inside a dismal glen with two tall trees on either side, and remembering the wolfos Link had said were there, she cautiously approached the door.

Two wolfos popped up with loud howls. She slew them quickly, wasting no time and looked up at the trees, wondering if there would be keys to find and doors to unlock. Time was a funny thing. Plus, she wondered why the sages hadn't gotten rid of the dark forces that inhabited the temples. Maybe they kept away unwanted guests.

There was only one way to find out about the keys. First using the long shot to pull herself up wall, she then climbed the ivy to get over to the top of the tree. From that position she could see a small wooden chest sitting on the tree across from her. She knew then that she would have to complete the whole temple.

Pulling out her ocarina, Zelda quickly played Saria's song, which Link had also taught her, along with a few other songs she hadn't known. Saria's voice answered immediately, "Zelda? Can you hear me?"

_No, I can't, I'm deaf, _Zelda thought with annoyance. She had no patience in a time like this. "Yes, Saria. What is going on with the temple?"

"There have always been keys, and locked doors to protect it, but I have used my powers to recreate the temple that Link faced," the forest sage explained.

"I feel like I'm wasting my time. I should be searching for the one who hurt him," Zelda confessed, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Though deep down she knew that she would go through the temple, had to. Something pulled her there.

"And he will hurt you as well if you're not prepared."

"Very well. I'll do it," Zelda replied, though Saria's words had little to do with her decision.

She was back in the ball room, back at her throne. Her father had not returned yet, and Link was nowhere to be seen. She saw Malon dancing with a young noble man, smiling prettily up at him, and Nabooru dancing with another. The man she was with looked almost afraid, and Zelda couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Have you seen Link anywhere?"

Zelda turned to answer Saria's question. "I saw him about twenty minutes ago, but I was just wondering where he was myself."

"I hope he hasn't gotten into any more trouble." The Kokiri girl frowned, then brightened. "There he is. With your father, coming in."

Zelda followed her gaze and saw that Link was entering the ballroom the same way her father had left, carrying a small golden chest. Her father was deep in conversation with him, but Link caught her gaze and grinned, then winked mischievously. It was then that she realized the box he carried was the one that contained her seventeenth year of birth coronation crown.

Every year on her birthday she was crowned once more as Princess of Hyrule. It really wouldn't matter if she wasn't, but her father liked to have parties, and this was a good excuse to have one. Each year, the crown contained one more diamond then the last on a beautiful gem encrusted tiara, and for every diamond it meant that she was getting closer to being queen, unless she married first.......

She wondered what Link was doing with her crown and gave him a questioning look, to which he only grinned even wider. Saria voiced her thoughts. "What is he doing with your crown Zelda? You don't think he's going to be the one to crown you, do you? I thought your father always did that."

"He does do it every year. Hmmm." She waited patiently as Link and the king walked up to the thrones, and then as Link set down the chest on the table between them. A moment later, her father called for silence. Saria immediately went down the steps and out of the way as the crowd of guests became hushed.

"I would like to thank you all for coming, ladies and gentlemen of the court and esteemed guests, to this year's celebration of my daughter's birth. As you know, the honor of crowning my daughter has always been one that I have not bestowed upon anyone but myself, but this year, I have decided to give that honor to a young man who has earned much more than we could possibly give.

"To him, we owe everything, our lives, our future…for he is the Hero of Time, who although none remember, but see it just the same, defeated the evil Ganondorf and saved my daughter's life." The king paused, glancing briefly at Link, who was focusing on keeping a serious expression instead of the goofy grin that was trying to take over. Zelda exhaled deeply, realizing then that she had been holding her breath. Her heart was pounding with some emotion she wasn't quite sure of-Link was going to crown her....

"I felt that on this day, my Zelda's seventeenth birthday, that Link should be the one to crown her, knowing that soon she shall be queen." With that said, the King of Hyrule turned and opened the gold box and took out the crown.

What he said next was a blur to Zelda, for her eyes, mind, and heart were focused on Link. She only realized that her father had finished his speech when he handed the crown to Link. Zelda barely even saw how beautiful it was. Her father stood back, between the thrones and in front of the table, as Link walked slowly up to Zelda, holding her crown in his strong, ungloved hands. She knew what she had to do, and curtsied before him with her head lowered.

"I have only been able to defeat all the danger I have faced because of the lady who believed in me when all others did not, knowing that she would be there in my times of trouble, and in my darkest moments. And it was in those moments that I struggled to prevail, because I could not fail the seventh sage, a girl I would die to protect."

A murmur rose up in the crowd of guests at Link's words, and rumors began to spread like a wild-fire. Saria's mouth had dropped open, and Malon had pouted with a sniff of her nose and a cross of her arms. Nabooru and Ruto were smiling knowingly at each other, and Impa was nodding with satisfaction.

The king himself was grinning excitedly, his heart burning with pride, and Zelda, Zelda was not aware of anyone else except for the person who slowly and gently placed the tiara upon her head. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Did he mean that? Would he die for her? Did she want him to? Was it because he was her body guard and that was his job? What did he mean? A million questions ran through her head but they were just as suddenly dispelled when she straightened and Link took her hand within his own and brought it to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss upon it. A sigh of pleasure went through the crowd by the ladies of the court, except for a few, and there were sighs of disappointment from the men.

The King walked around the pair, not wanting to disrupt them, and said, "And now, we shall celebrate this blessed event with a particular song that I think all shall enjoy." At that moment, the opening notes to a very familiar song, at least for Link and Zelda, began to play.

A E EEAGFG, A E EEAG#F#G#.

A tune very familiar to all, from the very first adventure Link had experienced.

Still holding Zelda's hand Link asked, "Dance with me?"

She nodded slowly and he began to lead her onto the dance floor, the crowd parting slightly to let them through. When they reached the center of the dance floor Link stopped, and put his left arm around her waist, still holding her right. Zelda slowly placed her left hand on his shoulder and they began to waltz to the sound of the famous song. Some composer had rewritten it as a very catchy waltz that made Zelda's heart soar as she danced with the person that it had been made for.

"I have a gift for you, but I didn't put it with the others," Link told her, as they danced. There was a large table in the corner of the room filled with presents for her that Zelda could really care less about.

"You didn't have to..." Zelda began, and Link rolled his eyes.

"Come on Zel, it's because I want to, not because I have to."

"Alright. Any hints on what it is?" She always played this game with him, and only after she had been given the gift did the clues make any sense.

"It will last forever," Link told her with a grin.

"Was it expensive?" If she had asked any other person but him that question it would have been considered rude, but this was Link.

"Actually, I profited from getting it." That meant he had gotten it after fighting many enemies and getting rupees from them.

"Is it a Deku stick?" Zelda asked with a smile.

Link laughed. "No, but it's related to one."

Zelda's brow wrinkled slightly in thought, and in some distant world she heard the music change to a very slow melody. Instantly she was aware of Link letting go of her hand and she feared that that was the end of her dance with him. But instead he simply placed his now free hand around her waist to join the other and Zelda happily drew her arms around his neck in response. Almost immediately she was drawn closer to his body, and with a contented sigh rested her head on his muscled shoulder. She could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest against her and didn't dare lift her head and risk the close proximity of where their lips would be, knowing that it wasn't as romantic as she thought it was.

"All out of guesses?" Link asked, his voice slightly lower than normal after a while, his warm breath tickling her neck. Zelda smiled into his shoulder then lifted her head slightly.

"I guess so." She could almost hear his grin. She lowered her head back down and adjusted her arms around Link's neck and was slightly surprised when her hips pressed against his. A shock went through her body very suddenly and Zelda inhaled sharply. The longing for him was there inside of her, deep and strong, and she knew that she would have to pull away from him now or lose control. Luckily, the song was just ending, and Zelda released him as the crowd of dancers on the floor dispersed, finding new partners.

"Thank you, Link," she said, holding her hands behind her back and smiling up at him. He quirked an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Everything. Just, thank you," Zelda said meaningfully.

"Your welcome, then," he replied, still a little confused. Zelda nodded and began to walk away. "Zelda?" Link called softly, stopping her.

"Yes?"

"I meant what I said."

Zelda was glad she had decided to train at the forest temple first. She didn't have to worry about lava or drowning, and the enemies here were fairly easy to beat. Link had been right, wall masters were really creepy, and the rooms with those were the only ones that slowed her down. She had managed to catch the four Poe sisters, and was now on her way to face the reenactment of phantom Ganon. That was the only enemy she wasn't sure she was capable of defeating.

After taking the elevator down and pushing the stone block around, Zelda reached the room that was full of paintings. A shudder ran through her body as she entered, and her heart began to pound.

Something was wrong. Instead of the feeling of evil that she knew wasn't real, this evil unmistakably was. But it was twisted in some way, almost......She couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Going against all common sense, Zelda went up the stairs, only to be locked in by the iron fence. A hideous laughter began to sound and she stiffened, the dread of what she was about to face filling her heart.

"What do you think you're doing here?" A voice suddenly asked, low and menacing, and almost familiar.

Zelda jumped. "Who are you?"

The laughter boomed across her soul. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Well at least let me see you." She was not so much afraid as she was annoyed now.

"I don't think so, not yet anyway." The voice became almost thoughtful.

"If you expect me to fight you, you need to come out," she said, in a bored voice.

"You're rather cocky, princess."

Zelda gasped. "How...?"

"How did I know you were Zelda? I've been watching you from time to time, with interest I might add, and your heart reeks of _him_, the Kokiri-clad fool."

_Link_. Zelda took a breath before answering. "He is not a fool."

"To have died the way he did and you say he's not a fool?" The laughter came again.

"What are you talking about?" Zelda's heart began to race. How could he have been watching her?

"I was there the day he died and I'll be there the day you revive him."

"What?" That caught Zelda off-guard, but at the same time it made her blood run hot with hope.

"You know what I'm talking about, Zel. Someone poisoned our good friend Link and you are on a quest for the antidote so that you can revive him."

"How do you know that?" How could anyone besides a few trusted friends know that? Or was this mysterious new evil attempting to egg her on a goose-chase, not knowing any of what she knew?

"I told you, I've been watching you. Haven't you felt it?" Zelda thought for a moment. She didn't remember seeing anyone that looked potentially dangerous. "Come on, I know your smarter than that, keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom," the voice continued mockingly. "The darkness by his bed, his tombstone, the chill around you at night..."

At his words, Zelda remembered. There had been a darkness by Link when he had died, a mournful one, and another by his grave. And at night, when she had left, there had been a chill that never left her, though she had failed to realize it. It was something noticed only by the part of the mind that was still willing to perceive anything, the part of her heart that made her recall it, the part that contained the Tri-Force of Courage.

It had seemed so insignificant compared to the tragedy she had been through, and she hadn't even picked up upon it. She had felt nothing but pain, had seen nothing but Link's face when he had died. Everything else was a blur. But when whoever he was or it was made her remember, she did. But she remembered only seeing shadows.

"I remember, but I still don't understand."

"Has the Tri-Force of Courage blocked the Wisdom? Never mind. After a while you'll understand. Just learn to trust yourself, and who knows, maybe you'll trust me. I'm not what you think I am. I think you'll be surprised."

"What are you here to do? Fight me, talk to me, help me, what?" The evil that Zelda had felt before had melted, and she wasn't sure anymore if it truly had been evil.

"A little of all, for fun. You'll figure it out soon enough. But before you see me, have some fun with this guy."

Zelda frowned, and suddenly there was a flash of green light. When she opened her eyes, there was one very large stalfos in front of her, grinning evilly."You're not very imaginative, are you?" she asked rhetorically, and was answered by a low chuckle.

"Give me time."

Zelda didn't respond as the stalfos suddenly attacked. She had to be careful not to get hit. If he got her, that would be the end. She quickly blocked his hit with her shield and made an attack of her own. She got in a good shot to the chest.

"Bravo," the voice said, and Zelda heard something that sounded like vague clapping. Strangely enough, it didn't make her angry. She stabbed the stalfos again as it prepared for the attack.

"How long have you been fighting? Oh yes, Link trained you a bit, didn't he?" the voice continued.

Zelda sighed and got in another hit, then another. Two more hits for this bigger than normal stalfos and it would be gone. She got in the two hits.

"Well done," said the voice, sounding pleased.

"Thanks," Zelda replied dryly.

There was a pause, then, "Zelda?"

"What?"

"I meant what I said."


	4. As Luck Would Have It

AN: Dwanana!!! Revised version of Chapter Four!!! Woohoo!!!

Chapter Four: As Luck Would Have It.

Once outside the Forest Temple Zelda was greeted by a very anxious Saria. The little Kokiri girl was wringing her hands with worry but she saw Zelda she relaxed considerably.

"What happened? I lost control of the temple right when you were supposed to face Phantom Ganon."

"There was someone else there instead," Zelda replied calmly, though her heart was pounding.

"Who?"

"I don't know, but they knew who I was and what I'm trying to do." Quickly Zelda explained to Saria the events that had followed when she had entered the painting room. Saria's eyes widened through each passing minute until Zelda finished.

"Wow. What are you going to do? He must be strong if he could take over the control of the temple from me," the Forest Sage said in wonder.

"I need to find him. I have to know what he is," Zelda replied, with a tiny, resolute nod.

"So will you go to the fire temple to look for him?" Saria asked curiously.

"Yes. He was here, so I expect he'll be at the next place Link went, waiting for me. I think I'll talk to the Goron's first though, and see if they've seen or heard anything strange." Zelda took a deep breath, trying to slow the beating of her heart.

"Have you talked to the other Kokiri yet, or the Deku tree sprout?" the green-haired girl wanted to know.

The princess shook her head. "Not yet. But I intend to."

Zelda was safely in her room, away from it all, the guests, the presents, and Link. Though the ball was in her honor, she had left it early with the claim that she was tired. No one would really notice her absence anyway.

Her excuse was also only partially a lie. She was tired, but that wasn't entirely the reason why she had left; she had to limit her contact with Link.

After changing into a white silk nightgown, she brushed her now free-flowing hair, letting the golden locks fall smooth against her white shoulders.

A knock came suddenly at the door and Zelda froze; now remembering that Link had a gift for her that she had not yet received. She stood slowly, then moved to the door.

Silence.

There was no other knock.

She hesitated briefly before opening the door, and saw, frowning, that there was no one there. But then she saw the note pinned to her door. Zelda reached for it and unpinned it carefully, then glanced down and around the hall carefully.

Nothing, absolutely nothing and no one. Forever zero.

With a small sigh, she went back inside her room, closing the door behind her. Taking a seat on her bed, she read the note

'Zelda,' it began, and Zelda recognized the handwriting to be Link's.

'I'm sorry couldn't give you your gift before I left, but think there is a better time to give it to you now. But,' and Zelda could just picture the grin that the 'but' entailed.

'But, you're going to have to wait a bit longer. I'm leaving for Delina tomorrow morning along with your father. I know I was supposed to go the day after tomorrow, but his majesty decided that we should leave at once in order to obtain peace between kingdoms. Zelda.....' The note trailed off in a few spots of ink, as if Link was unsure of what to write.  'Please forgive me if I don't return.'

The note fell to the floor, slipping out of Zelda's limp fingers. i _Please forgive me if I don't returni. _What did he mean by that? He couldn't honestly believe that he would die; he would have informed her father if there was any danger. Or did he plan to stay? King Dremin had a sister....she was supposedly young, beautiful, and unwed. Her heart seized in panic, but then she calmed. No, that was unlike Link. He wouldn't do something like that. Would he?

Zelda looked up at her door, staring at the wood paneling, at the knob. Suddenly, she flung herself up off the bed and to the door, flinging it wide as she ran down the hallway, her bare feet padding against the dark red carpeting as she ran towards Link's bedroom. A door opened and Zelda crashed into the person that came out, barely apologizing to the confused noble woman as she raced past her and to the door at the end of the hall. The door knob turned easily in her hand-Link never locked it-and Zelda entered his room.

The bed was neatly made, and everything was tidily put away. A sudden thought made Zelda looked at the corner of the room where Link usually left his sword.

It wasn't there.

Beginning to panic now, Zelda flung wide the doors to his closet and saw that most of his travel clothes were gone. She opened the drawers to his bureau and found that majority of those clothes were gone as well. She knew then, that Link had left even earlier than he had said.

Why hadn't he told her? What was going on? Would she ever see him again?

She ran to the window and looked out at the stables. She saw no horse and rider, and no one entered. She had missed him.

The princess straightened, and backed up, until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell down on top of it. Lifting her legs, she curled up into a ball on top of the covers, and pressing the pillow to her head, breathed in the scent.

It smelt of fresh woods and pine, as well as a scent that was entirely Link's own. She breathed it in deeply, and suddenly, fresh tears began to flow, soaking the white cotton pillow. Her heart was filled with every emotion she had ever known, as well as a few more. Despair, sadness, regret, longing, love, pain.....They made her want to burst.

"Zelda?" Impa's voice made her sit up in surprise. Impa stood in the doorway, looking at her strangely. Zelda looked down, embarrassed. "What are you doing?"

"Link's gone," the princess replied quietly.

"What?"

"Link left. There was a note on my door...."

"Where did he go?" Impa asked.

"To Delina."

"Yes, well that was the plan," Impa confirmed, giving her a curious look.

"He wasn't supposed to go until the day after tomorrow and he left tonight," Zelda said, staring down at her hands self-consciously.

Her guardian frowned. "I still don't understand why you're upset, princess."

"In the note he said he would be leaving in the morning, and he left now. Why? He also wrote to please forgive him if he didn't return," Zelda choked on the last word, and Impa moved to her side.

"I don't know what this all means, Zelda, but rest assured that Link will be fine."

"Will he?"

The Kokiri knew nothing, and neither did the Deku tree sprout. Mostly, they asked her questions about who she was and where she had come from. Zelda told them that she didn't know; that she was lost herself. Which was mostly true. The Kokiri were not even aware of the takeover of the forest temple, and were of no help at all.

Zelda decided to move on, playing the Bolero of Fire to bring her to fire temple without the need of travel.

IT'S TOO HOT TO STAY HERE FOR TOO LONG, HURRY ZELDA! A high, bell-like voice called out, and Zelda swiveled at the words. Navi was flying high above her head behind her.

"Navi? What are you doing here?" Zelda asked, deeply surprised. It had been years since she had seen the fairy.  Link had gone looking for her once, but had not found her. Where had the fairy been all this time?

I WANT TO HELP YOU, I CAME AS SOON AS I HEARD ABOUT LINK. BUT FIRST YOU NEED A RED TUNIC TO KEEP YOU SAFE FROM THE HEAT. DO YOU HAVE LINK'S?

Zelda nodded and brought it out quickly, the heat from the volcano almost blistering her bare skin. She put it on, sliding it over the tight shirt she already wore.

NOW WHAT?

"We complete the temple," Zelda replied, and headed for the ladder leading down inside the fire temple. The time for questioning Navi would come later.

Zelda waited impatiently while Impa went to get her father. Zelda knew that the king would not leave that night, like Link. He would never desert the party. Finally, Impa returned, the king close behind her, looking confused.

"What is it Zelda? Why are you in your nightgown?" he asked.

"Where's Link?" she asked in return.

Her father seemed relieved. "Where's Link? That's what this is about? He went to Delina."

"Weren't you supposed to go with him?" Zelda questioned.

"I'm going to follow after him in the morning," the king replied, giving her an odd look.

"He told me he was leaving in the morning, but when I went to his room he was gone. His stuff was gone," she explained.

Her father stared at her, wondering why she was going to Link's room in her night clothes. "It was a last minute thing. He was all ready to go, but I saw him a few minutes ago, and he was anxious to leave, so I told him to go on out ahead."

"During the night?" Zelda asked incredulously.

"He can take care of himself," Impa reminded her.

Zelda ignored her guardian and looked to her father with pleading eyes. "Father, may I go to Delina in your place?"

The king raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zelda handed him the note. "Read this."

The king began to read, a little annoyed. When he finished, he quoted, "Please forgive me if I do not return." He frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I was hoping you'd know," Zelda replied, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Well, when I saw him, he seemed a little preoccupied, and I asked him if anything was wrong. He said he had a bad feeling. I made light of it, but told him he could go early. Maybe I shouldn't have…" the king said thoughtfully.

"May I go in your place father?" Zelda asked again. 

"Zelda...If Link felt that there was something wrong, how can I let you go into danger?"

"At least I have the power to take care of myself, father, and Hyrule needs your supervision right now, not mine," Zelda pointed out, praying to the goddesses that he would let her go in his stead.

"Very well, Zelda," he relented, "but I will double the number of guards accompanying you." He knew that there was no arguing with Zelda when she got like this, when she was worried about Link.

"Thank you father. I shall leave right away." Zelda quickly stood up and made to leave, but her father stopped her.

"No you won't. I thought you were tired daughter, as you did leave the ball early, and," he added, "the guards are not prepared yet."

Zelda's shoulders fell and she sighed. "Very well. In the morning then."

Link had just saddled Epona when he realized what he had forgotten. It had been bothering him ever since he had left his room, though he had checked and rechecked it twice already.

He had forgotten the sapphire amulet that Zelda had given him so many years ago. He always left it on the end table beside his bed, but now he remembered that he had put it in the draw so it would be safe when he had torn his room apart searching for his cap. The amulet was supposed to bring him good luck, but he didn't care; it had come from Zelda. It was just a stone, no string, so Link didn't carry it around a lot for fear of losing it. One of these days he'd find a way to make it into a necklace without damaging it.

Leaving Epona where she was, Link hurried back into the palace. The dark feeling that something was going to go wrong had not left him, and he figured he needed the luck, plus, it would be safe inside the special pouch he'd prepared for it.

He made his way to his room, hearing the distant sounds of music and laughter from the ball, which would carry on for some time yet. He went inside and moved quickly to the end table, pulling open the top draw to find the amulet sparkling merrily at him. He grabbed it, put it in his pocket, shut the draw, then made for the door. And stopped.

The room smelt of roses. More precisely- of pink roses. He knew only one person who had that scent; Zelda. She'd been in his room. She had probably started a search for him after reading the note, and of course, not found him. She would be confused of course now, but that couldn't he helped.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought. It took a lot of work to confuse the girl who possessed the Tri-force of Wisdom. Link yawned suddenly, and frowned. He should be in bed at this time, but that had never stopped him from riding at night before. He was never tired, at least, not until he actually went to sleep. But he hadn't been sleeping much lately, so this was probably the result.

Abruptly, his knees buckled underneath him and he caught himself on the edge of the bed just before he fell. He blinked. That had never happened before. Shrugging, Link sat down on the bed. Well, if sleep wanted to claim him he would have to unsaddle Epona first. He took a deep breath and stood up, intent for the door. He had only taken one step before he passed out.

Zelda took a deep breath and jumped across to the door that led to where Volvagia once reigned. Navi at once told her to be careful. Well, duh. She opened the door, wondering what new enemy she would face and if she'd see the stranger again. She was greeted by a stronger wave of heat then she had previously experienced, and sweat immediately begun to run down her face in beads. She wiped her brow with her sleeve, and then stepped forward.

"So you made it, congratulations," the voice came, making Zelda jump. That was weird, she thought, she hadn't even sensed his presence, whoever and whatever he was.

"Thanks, I guess. Any vague words of wisdom for me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I've kind of taken a liking to you, princess, you're more courageous and sharp-witted than I previously gave you credit for. I've done some hunting around, went to Delina, went to this beautiful cemetery, you'd like it, it was very nice."

"Get on with it. Delina?" Zelda prodded anxiously. Delina?

"Yes. An old hermit lives there. It took some searching; people had forgotten he was still alive. I did a bit of spying and found he was very good with potions. You might want to go there and check him out."

"Thank you." Zelda was actually heart-felt in her gratitude. She was actually grateful to whoever this person was, though he tended to annoy her sometimes.

"Don't thank me, thank Link," replied the voice.

Her breath caught. "What?"

"Never mind. I spent a little bit of time using my imagination and came up with a monster I think you'll love. Ready?"

"I'm ready," Zelda answered, gripping her sword and shield tightly.

"Here you go." There was a sudden flash of red light and when Zelda opened her eyes, a huge fiery dragon was flying before her.

"What imagination? It looks like Volvagia!" Zelda called.

"Feh, so I lied. But you don't need the megaton hammer. A good thing too, considering you can barely even lift it." The voice chuckled.

The dragon went flying towards her head and Zelda ducked, the flame from it singeing her hair. So that's why Link wears that cap, Zelda thought briefly, before yelling, "How do I fight this thing then?"

"How is the world going to end? Some say fire, some say- ."

"Ice!" Zelda yelled, finishing his sentence. The voice laughed.

"Glad to see that Tri-force piece is kicking in."

Zelda brought out her bow and fitted it with and ice arrow, taking aim at the fiery dragon. Letting loose the arrow she hit it square in the face.

The ice immediately took hold of the flame, and Zelda was able to get close to the dragon without burning herself. She hit it with the sword as many times as she could before the ice arrow's magic wore off, and then shot another one to send the dragon tumbling down again, avoiding the spurts of flame it shot at her. She hit it three more times before having to repeat the process, and soon the dragon was down, falling to the ground in a burst of flame.

When the smoke cleared, Zelda heard a cooing sound. Moving her arm away from her eyes, she peered through the remnants of the smoke to see a small red animal. She stepped closer.

There on the ground was a tiny little baby dragon.

She dropped to her knees at once and the dragon wobbled up to her, beating it's wings to no effect. Zelda held out her hand and the dragon licked it. The sensation tickled.

"It's so cute!" Zelda said out loud, and she heard a low chuckle.

"I thought you'd say that. You can keep it, if you want it. That little dragon survived a batch of crushed eggs back in Delina. I used my magic to make it big. Don't worry, he's not hurt, and he's harmless. Now anyway."

"Keep him? Where would I put him?" Zelda asked in surprise.

"I don't know princess, but he won't survive on his own."

Zelda sighed, then smiled at the baby before her, and picked it up gently. It buried its head in her arms. "Now tell me, where does the hermit live?"

"There's a passageway in that cemetery I mentioned. It leads to the Dark Woods. He's in there somewhere."

Zelda nodded, her heart burning once more with hope. "Alright. That's where I'll go."

AN: Hey, don't mind the dragon, it serves a purpose later on and I was a little hyper on ice coffee when I added him in.


	5. The Duel

REVISED

Chapter Five: The Duel

They found him on the floor beside his bed.

When the knights had gone to saddle their horses they had discovered Epona, saddled, in her stall, with no Link. Immediately they had gone to tell the princess, and a full-out search had started. Zelda, Impa and the king all went to his room, wondering if he had returned, and they had found him lying on his stomach, sprawled on the floor. It didn't look like he had been hurt, but only a splash of water in the face and Zelda's voice calling his name woke him up.

"Zel? What's going on?" he asked groggily, trying to sit up. Impa helped him up to his bed.

"You tell me. We found you on the floor," Zelda replied worriedly, sitting down beside him.

Link remembered now. He had come back for the amulet, and had suddenly felt so tired. He had actually ended up deciding to stay and rest, but only after he had unsaddled Epona. But he had passed out. "I passed out." He felt a little foolish saying it.

"You passed out?" Impa asked in disbelief. The king also looked incredulous, but Zelda only became even more worried.

"Yeah. I came back to get something and I suddenly felt so tired. But Epona...Is Epona all right?"

"She's fine Link." Impa replied, crossing her arms and frowning.

"I decided to rest for tonight and was going to unsaddle Epona when I just blacked out," Link told them.

"Maybe you should see a doctor." Zelda suggested, but he shook his head.

"Nah, I'm all right. I guess those few nights without sleep finally caught up with me." He scratched his head then rubbed his eyes, wiping the water away.

"So you think you're okay now?" The king asked, and Link nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Though a little groggy. But let's head to Delina. They'll be expecting us."

It was about five days worth of travel to get to Delina, that is, if Zelda had been traveling with the soldiers like before. However, with Epona, she could make it in only four days. The two days on the boat across the sea could not be shortened, but Zelda had taken the time to think and remember.

Link had been surprised that she would be going to Delina instead of her father, but hadn't questioned why, and Zelda was too afraid of what he might say to ask him about his note. She did however ask him about the bad vibe he was getting. He said he wasn't sure, but it originated in Delina, and that there was a darkness there that he didn't know how to explain. She thought it was odd that she hadn't felt it, but Link had shrugged his shoulders and replied,

"Maybe I'm just paranoid."

They had been strangely silent around each other for the first few days of travel, but when they had gotten on the boat, an amusing conversation was started when Zelda saw how uneasy he was.

Zelda found Link at the bow of the boat, leaning on the railing. He looked pale, and somewhat anxious. Zelda approached him cautiously, and then prepared herself to talk to him like she had always talked to him, before her feelings had come to light.

"A little seasick, Link?"

Link turned to give her an uneasy grin. "I've had some bad experiences with boats."

"Fallen overboard?" she guessed, amused.

"More than once," he admitted.

"I guess you're not a sailor."

"I guess not."

"That's too bad. I love men in uniform." Zelda replied, giving him a playful smile. Link straightened and turned his head to give her a grin.

"That is too bad. You don't consider this a uniform?" Link asked, motioning to his Kokiri green outfit.

"Should I? You're the only one who wears it with those pants." Zelda replied, making him laugh, which was followed very quickly by a yawn. "Tired?"

"Very, it seems, lately."

"I'll say it again. Maybe you should see a doctor."

Link waved her off. "I'm fine. I just need to catch up on my sleep."

"If you say so." Zelda paused. "I'm going back to my room. I need to look over the documents my father was working with before we arrive in Delina."

"All right. I guess I'll see you at dinner then."

Zelda nodded and smiled before turning to go. But then, when she reached the stairway to below deck Link said, "Maybe I should get a uniform, since I am your bodyguard and all."

Zelda laughed. "I'll have someone get to work on it right away." And she proceeded to go downstairs. What she didn't realize, however, was that Link was only half joking.

The boat ride to Delina over, Zelda now headed to the cemetery that her mysterious mentor had told her about. But the problem was that she had no idea where it was.

She would have to ask someone.

She stepped off the boat and onto the dock, making sure that her hood covered her head. However, she was unable to take all of the attention away from herself for she caught several young men looking at her appreciatively.

She wished Link were with her. No one dared to look at her when he was with her. He was always by her side, a warm, strong force that kept her safe and happy. He was so good, so pure, so giving. He didn't deserve to die at only seventeen. He hadn't even lived his life yet. Zelda didn't care now if he had never loved her and if he never could, as long as he found someone to love that could love him back, and he was happy. Then, Zelda would gladly give him up, set him free. And once she had brought him back to life she would do so; she would relieve him of his duties.

"Hey little lady, you look lost. Want any help?" someone said, his voice rather high and nasal.

Zelda turned to see a big burly man in his early twenties looking at her. She thought it rather funny that the voice could belong to him. "Excuse me?"

"I said, do you need any help?" the man repeated, his eyes wandering up her legs and stopping at her chest.

Since she could take care of herself, and she didn't know where to start looking she decided to humor him. "Actually, is there a cemetery anywhere around here?"

"A cemetery? Now why would you want to go there?"

"I lost someone very dear to me, and I believe that he is buried somewhere in Delina."

"What, was he your lover? Because I can fill that position, babe," the man replied, moving forward. Zelda didn't bother moving backward, and answered, "Not quite. And that would be a no. So do you know where one is?"

"There's a pretty fancy one back behind the palace, but not many are allowed in, so I doubt your boyfriend was buried there."

"Thank you very much. But actually, he was buried in Hyrule," Zelda told him, and walked away before the man could get over his shock and confusion.

Now that she knew where the cemetery was, she would have to find a way to get there. She couldn't tell the King who she was, for he would send her back in disbelief, but how else could she get there? She hadn't even known of the cemetery's existence until now, and that weird voice hadn't even bothered to tell her where it was. But she couldn't get too mad at it, for it/he had helped her in her search.

Sighing, Zelda entered the fishing village.

With one black boot the dark stranger kicked a rock down the road, what he had of a heart pounding with emotions he had never experienced before. He was confused. When Link had died, he had been sad, and shouldn't have been; he was free.

All of his conscious life, angry with blackness, he had wanted to break free of the chains that Link had cast, and now that he was free, not only was he lost, but he was helping Zelda resurrect the one who had confined him.

He could see now, why Link had loved her so, for she was so easy to love. When he had been released, all of the anger and darkness he had held he had been ready to turn on the world, to destroy, to seek revenge for his imprisonment. He had decided to start first with Zelda, to haunt her, and so used his powers to take over the forest temple to meet her and taunt her, possibly kill her if he so chose. But then after barely even five minutes with her, he had broken down, unable to accomplish what he had set out to do. And worse then that, now he was helping her.

The phantom shook his head in misery. Once Link was back he would be confined again, worse now that he loved Zelda. For Nayru's love, he loved her. What had happened to him? He had no soul to love, barely a heart to keep him breathing, if that was what it was called in his case. He didn't even think he was evil anymore, if that was possible. All of that had washed away in the warmth and light that Zelda had brought with her. Would she be able to tell that the next time he saw her? Could he even reveal himself to her, knowing what, who, he looked like? He hoped he wouldn't have to.

The rock he was kicking suddenly veered off the path he was walking, the noise of its tumbling waking up two stalchildren. He almost laughed as the two searched for the cause of the noise. They couldn't see him, not unless he wanted them to. But then, as the slow-walking terrors of the night returned to the ground, he did laugh. It started out as a quiet chuckle that soon turned to loud maniacal laughter that even scared him. He couldn't stop laughing until he was gasping for air, falling on his knees on the path to Hyrule castle. When he had calmed down, he knew what he had to do. He had to help Zelda, even if it meant losing his freedom. Even if Zelda would never return his love.

He would go to Delina.

It was morning when Zelda, Link, and company reached the docks of Delina. While Zelda's small army unloaded the boat, Zelda was left to look for Link, whom she had not yet seen. First she searched the deck, and upon not finding him, she went down to his room.

After finding it closed, she knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again, banging it with all her might. There was still no answer. Now she tried opening the door and found that as was usual with Link, it was not locked. She opened it slowly, peering into the room. There was Link, sprawled out on his bed, still asleep. She sighed, and moved over to his bed.

"Link, you have to get up. We're here. We've reached Delina."

"Mmhpph," was the reply. Zelda sighed again and shook his shoulder.

"Link! Get up!"

There was still no answer. Zelda crossed her arms, a slight pout on her lips, thinking. She glanced at the water on his nightstand then shook her head. That would be too mean. But then she got an idea, a very fun one.

Backing up to the door, she got ready to run. She waited a second, just to be sure, and then ran full-speed to his bed and jumped on it with all her might. Link flew up off the bed two inches and came crashing back down with a loud 'oomph'.

"Urgh, what is it Zel?" he asked, throwing one pillow at her and using the other to block his eyes.

"It's time to get up, we're here," she replied, but there was no response. He had fallen back asleep. She threw the pillow at him.

"Uhgh. What?"

Zelda rolled her eyes. "It's time to get up, we're here."

Link threw his second pillow at her. "Already?"

"It's eight in the morning. You missed breakfast," Zelda told him, catching the pillow and throwing it right back at him. It bounced off his head. Link sat up.

"That's weird."

She frowned at him. "I'm telling you, you should see a doctor."

"What, because I'm tired?" Link fell back on the bed.

Zelda moved closer to his side, ready to argue. "Yes. Look at you, you can't get up. You're probably getting sick."

Link closed his eyes and yawned. "I----am not sick."

"I bet you are." Zelda leaned over him to get the pillow on the floor. Link knew what she was doing and prepared a counter-attack. Right when the pillow was in her hand and she had started to lean back to her position on the bed he grabbed her around the waist with one arm and snatched the pillow away with the other. Zelda shrieked with laughter as he pinned her beneath him to the bed, his movements too quick for her to do anything about it.

"Truce?" Link asked, hands on her shoulders, holding her to the bed as he sat over her, leaning down. Zelda didn't answer, just bent her elbow so that she could reach the necklace that dangled from his neck and looked at it.

"This is the amulet I gave you," Zelda said, after a moment of surprise. "You still have it."

"I've always had it. I just never carried it around for fear of losing it. But a couple days ago I had it attached to a chain."

Still holding it, Zelda looked up from the necklace at Link. He was so close; she could feel the warmth of his body. He held her pressed to the bed, his hands strong, but gentle, for he would never hurt her. She realized that for one split second her body had been against his, only the thin cotton of his tank and her dress between them. Her blood began to run hot, her pulse to quicken, and her mouth fell slightly open as her gaze wandered to his lips.

Link stared down back at her, not conscious of the look she was giving him as he gazed longingly at the golden hair that was splayed across his bed, at the blue eyes he always made sure not to lose himself in, and the full, rose-red lips he found himself needing to kiss so badly, as if he would die if he didn't. His hands moved from her shoulders, releasing her, and at that, Zelda grabbed his left arm as if to push him away and escape, as he slid his right arm underneath her and around her waist and leaned closer to her

Zelda held onto him, feeling the hard muscle of his arm in her hand, as his other arm snaked around her and his body moved closer to her.

She slid her hand through his hair and waited for him to kiss her. Their lips were mere millimeters apart, her eyes just closing, when the door to his room suddenly flung wide open, slamming the wall behind it. Immediately the moment was gone as both she and Link jumped clear away from each other, scrambling to either side of the bed.

Impa stood in the doorway, a look on her face that showed she was none too happy. Zelda bit her lip and Link cursed himself lightly under his breath. "I am not even going to ask what I walked into, but the boat has been unloaded, your highness, and it's time to depart," Impa said, and waited. Zelda wasn't sure what she wanted until she shot her a look.

"Oh! Coming," Zelda said sheepishly, hopping off the bed and moving hurriedly from the room. Once Zelda was gone, Impa turned to Link, allowing a slight smile to form on her face.

"It's about time, boy."

"What?" Now Link was confused.

"Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about," Impa replied, and Link looked down, a little embarrassed. "I'm only curious about why it took so long for you to take some action," she finished, and then left Link alone in his room to change and ponder over what she had said.

It wasn't long before Link met the others outside on the dock; his steps slow and dragged. A few carriages had arrived to bring them to the palace and were already being loaded.

Link looked over at Zelda but she failed to meet his eye. However, she was aware of him, aware of how tired and strained he looked and acted, and her worry over him increased. One of the Hylian knights helped her into the middle carriage and Link waited a second to be told what to do. It wasn't long before Impa came over to him.

"You, young man, will travel to the palace in Zelda's carriage. You are after all, her bodyguard."

Link nodded and headed to the carriage, pausing a moment before he was given the go ahead nod by Impa. He opened the door and stepped inside, sitting down diagonal to Zelda. She didn't acknowledge his presence at first, but then said, "It should only be a few hours till we reach the palace."

"So what exactly is going to take place here?" Link asked, glancing out the window as the carriage began to move.

"We are going to make the final draft of the peace treaty between our nations."

"Shouldn't your father be here to do that too?" Link yawned.

"In another year I shall be queen, and I know as well as my father what needs to be done."

"I know that, but does the king of Delina?"

"He was told originally that it was to be either myself or my father that would come and make the final arrangements, and so he is prepared for both of us." There was a moment of silence in which Link did not answer. "Link?" she questioned, turning her head to look at him. She frowned worriedly when she saw that he was asleep once more.

Link wasn't aware of how much time had passed when he woke up to Zelda gently shaking his shoulder. "Link, get up, we're at the palace."

"Hnn," he replied sleepily, opening his eyes.

The door to the carriage opened and a knight stuck his hand in to help Zelda out. She hesitated before taking it, then waited for Link to follow. After a moment he did, but as soon as he stepped out, his knees buckled right out from underneath him and he almost fell. At the last second, the knight that had helped Zelda grabbed his arm while Zelda grabbed the other.

"Careful Link," Sir Dern told him, steadying him. "I never thought you'd need any of my help," he added with a laugh, and Link grinned. He and Dern had been friends since Link had come to stay at the palace. Dern had been trained as a knight, but while Link had had no training at all, remained the most skilled out of all of Hyrule's knights. Dern let go of his arm and returned to what he was doing, while Zelda still held on, afraid he would fall.

Link felt so weak, so tired. He closed his eyes, allowing Zelda to steer him in the right direction and walk him into the palace. He knew that he was receiving stares from all sides after only opening his eyes once, briefly.

Everyone was curious to know why the hero of Hyrule needed the support of the princess, but Zelda never let go of his arm, and they soon had reached the palace.

Forcing his eyes open for a moment, Link saw that they were walking down a red carpet that led to a huge set of double doors which two knights of Delina opened for them. He was also dimly aware that they were telling Zelda she could only bring in two knights aside from her bodyguard. She chose Dern and Felk, brothers, and the best.

"Link, open your eyes," Zelda whispered in his ear, and he obeyed. Zelda also let go of his arm, slowly at first, to make sure he would be all right on his own. The king of Delina was seated upon a golden throne at the end of the steps, and he and Zelda were now before him, Dern and Felk taking positions nearby behind them.

"It is a pleasure, Princess Zelda, to finally meet you," King Dremin said, standing.

Zelda smiled and replied, "As it is you, your majesty." She curtsied before him and he bowed.

"So tell me who this lad in green is, princess. He can't be the famous hero of Hyrule?" Dremin asked, looking at Link with something of contempt in his eyes.

"He is."

"I assume he is your bodyguard as well, or he would not have been admitted here."

"You have assumed correctly," Zelda replied, disliking the tall, dark man who stood before her.

"He does not appear to be as brave and strong as I have been told. Weak, in fact, tired," Dremin said silkily, looking pleased.

"Link is stronger than any man alive." She didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Would you like to prove that, your highness?" Dremin asked, frowning at Link, who glared right back at him, not one to be stared down.

"What?"

"Oh, just a simple duel, a test to see who is stronger. My best knight against your bodyguard."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Link is not feeling very well today," Zelda told him. At this Link ignored the king and turned to her, as awake as he could be.

"That's okay, Zel. If he wants a friendly challenge I'll give him one."

"Zel?" Dremin repeated, to no one in particular.

"Link, you don't have to. Please, it's not necessary," Zelda pleaded, her first meeting with Dremin not going so well, the fault not lying with Link.

"As you wish, Zelda," Link replied, yawning.

"I think it is necessary, princess, if you are to confirm what you have said. Do not leave me waiting to see how strong he is."

Zelda felt that he couldn't have called her a liar any stronger than if he had just said it. The words, 'I hate you', rose to her lips, but she forced them back and turned to Link. Link nodded and drew out his sword. "You have yourself a duel, your majesty."

"That's what I want to hear. Sir Qazeil, show him how it's done," King Dremin said, and at once a tall, strong, muscled knight strode forward- much bigger than Link. Zelda and Dremin backed away, as well as Dern and Felk, leaving the two to their fight.

Link was breathing hard, and looking as if he might fall over from lack of sleep, while Dern, Felk, and Zelda looked on worried as Dremin and Qazeil smirked in premature triumph. Link brought his shield out with his right arm, as Qazeil brought out both weapon and shield. Dremin began to murmur something beside Zelda and she looked over at him puzzled, and then back at Link as his shield clattered to the floor.

The duel hadn't even started yet, but Link's right arm was hanging by his side, limp, though undamaged. Zelda looked back at Dremin in surprise.

"Don't worry your highness. It's just a simple disabling spell to make the fight more interesting. His arm will return to normal in an hour or so." At his words, all from Hyrule shot King Dremin a death glare.

"You don't have to do this, Link," Zelda told the hero, her worry returning as her anger left her.

"It's fine Zelda. There's no problem," he replied, giving her a small smile.

"I don't care about winning Link; I don't want you hurt."

"I'll be fine Zelda." Link turned to Qazeil and readied his sword. "On guard."

At those two words, Qazeil charged, bringing his sword down as if to slice Link in half. Link blocked it with his own sword than slipped out of the way and stabbed with his own. The fight was going to be slightly more difficult without his shield. Qazeil blocked that with his own shield and laughed. Link smiled darkly back at him and with a flick of the wrist caught his sword underneath the shield to stab the leather that Qazeil held onto, making him drop it as the point of the sword pierced his hand.

Link pulled back immediately as Qazeil grunted in pain and swung his sword again. Link sidestepped out of the way and brought down hard his own sword on Qazeil's, right above where he held it. Qazeil's grip was loosened and as quick as a flash, Link hit upward in the same spot underneath, and Qazeil's sword dropped to the ground. Link brought his sword point up to his neck as Qazeil stood in defeat, the duel over.

"Do you yield?" Link asked, and Qazeil hung his head.

"I yield." Link backed away and sheathed his sword as Zelda ran to him, overjoyed, and Dremin scowled. But then, Link's knees began to buckle once more and this time, both Dern and Felk caught him as Zelda threw her arms around him.

"How could you do that? You can barely walk and you had no use of your defense arm!" Dremin exclaimed, his rage barely contained.

Link shrugged as Felk and Dern let go of him and allowed Zelda to take control once more. "There's a reason he's a hero in my kingdom," Zelda responded. "Now, will someone take us to our rooms? We've had a long journey."

Dremin blinked. "Yes, of course. Gart, take them to their rooms." At once a young guard came over and bowed to Zelda, motioning for them to follow him. When they had left the throne room, Dremin sat down bitterly on his throne.

"Sooner or later, that boy will be defeated, and I'll be there to see it."


	6. Shadow

REVISED

Chapter Six: Shadow

Zelda cautiously approached Delina's palace, hoping to find some way around it and to the back where she knew the royal graveyard would be. On her first visit to the kingdom, she had only been there for about two days and so had not really gotten a feel for the place, and of course had not gone to the royal graveyard. Why would she? It was none of her business and she hadn't even known that it even existed. She sighed. A low growl followed that sigh and she frowned, taking the baby dragon out of its place in her bag.

"What is it Blaze?" she asked, staring into the creatures green eyes. Blaze flickered its tongue at her and hissed in reply. Zelda shrugged, and continued on, eyeing a small path through the woods and brush that surrounded the palace.

Soon she was totally surrounded by leaves and sticks; unable to see even the castle that she knew was so close. A sudden shiver went up her spine as the sun went behind the clouds and the tunnel of brush became dark and cold.

Zelda plunged further into the tunnel, ignoring the bad feeling that she was getting. Blaze growled again, baring his razor sharp fangs in anger, staring ahead at something Zelda couldn't see.

"Axure de cavinar letcum sutsnel kuhg!" The words of some unknown menace echoed through the dim forest of trees and Zelda gasped as Blaze suddenly became hot in her hands and he leapt from her, turning to face her. And abruptly, he began to grow. Zelda's eyes widened in fear as Blaze soon became too big for the growth of brush they had been walking through.

"SARCU LET FELLUM DISTRUCTUAR!" the voice raged again, and Blaze roared, letting a huge stream of fire jet from his mouth.

The brush caught on fire, crackling with flames. Then just as suddenly Blaze turned on her, and began to charge forward, intent on her demise. Zelda screamed and ran back the way she had come, the dragon hot on her heels, as well as the flame. But then she tripped, and fell.

She got a mouthful of dirt and spit it out, desperate to get back on her feet, and scrambled up from the ground. She began to sweat from the intense heat of the flame, and to gasp from the smoke, but it wasn't for her own life that she had to get away. If she died, Link would remain dead.

"SE PARARE CON CAMINARETE!" Zelda heard a voice distantly yell, but couldn't quite place it. Abruptly the pounding behind her stopped, and she dared to turn around and look.

Blaze had stopped in mid-step, completely frozen in position, but the flames continued on.

"HIELOS DE MIS COMANDARA!" the new voice came again, and a rush of cool air suddenly pushed Zelda forward and she shivered.

And suddenly the flames that were reaching for her turned to ice and fell from the sky. Zelda blocked her head with her arms as the ice came crashing down, but abruptly she was being covered by something else, something dark, and something warm. It brought her to the ground and huddled over her, protecting her from the freezing daggers. When the last sounds of ice splintering came and went, Zelda opened her eyes.

The dark shape over her moved away and Zelda focused on the person who stood over her, the sun glaring in her eyes from the now brush-free ceiling.

The sun moved behind some clouds. Zelda could see. She gasped. "Link?" she questioned softly, and Link, or whoever he was, frowned as she fainted.

Zelda came to, breathing in the fresh scent of flowers. She sighed peacefully, enjoying the cool breeze that caressed her face before remembering what she had seen. She jolted up from the ground, eyes flying open. The first thing she saw was Blaze, back to his normal size, and sleeping soundly on the ground beside her. The first thing she heard was, "So you're awake."

Zelda placed the voice just as she saw him. The voice belonged to the one in the temples who had teased her, helped her. But the person before her was Link. "Link?" she asked again, sadly hopeful.

He shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"But, you look just like him," Zelda argued, her heart pounding. 'Link' sat down in front of her on the grass.

"I know. That's why I haven't let you see me," he replied, running a hand through his hair.

Zelda couldn't say anything then, only stared at him, noticing with shock that although he looked exactly like Link, there were subtle differences. His hair was cut short. It was still that dark golden blond, but it was only a couple inches long and spiked up. The earring this Link wore was still in the left, though. Instead of the green tunic Link wore, this man was wearing a long black leather coat, a black tank, and black leather pants, followed by; you guessed it, black boots.

"You're the one in the temples," she breathed.

"That's right," he confirmed

What in the world was going on? "Who _are_ you?"

'Link' smiled grimly. "Link's darker side. His shadow."

"What?! His shadow?!" Zelda exclaimed, waking Blaze.

Shadow Link nodded dimly and Zelda could only stare in shock. "While Link lived, I wanted more than to just follow. I hated not being able to do what I wanted. I hated him. It was like a prison, only I could never break free. Then, he died. I was set free. I guess I wanted so badly to be my own person that I took form. And my magic, I think it came partially from what poisoned Link, and from the tri-force as it left him," he explained to her, as if that would answer all of her questions.

"I don't get it." Zelda replied, very thoughtful.

"What, did the wisdom piece black out?" Shadow Link asked with a smirk. Zelda frowned.

"Why are you helping me? Why is it when I first met you I sense evil and now..." Shadow Link held his breath, waiting for her to realize. "And now I sense warmth, goodness," Zelda said, frowning.

"Maybe your sensors are wrong." Shadow Link stood up. "For, I _am _evil. You felt it yourself in the beginning."

"But now I don't," Zelda replied, also standing.

He turned away from her, running a hand through his hair again. "My intentions were, originally, to kill you." His voice was cold, determined.

Zelda froze. "Originally? What now?" She dreaded the answer.

"I got slightly detoured. I found your quest interesting. I decided to help. But now, I'm ready to go through with what I had planned."

"And what is that?" Zelda backed away a step as he turned to face her.

"To kill you with the same poison that killed Link." His answer was quick, ready.

"I don't understand," Zelda whispered fearfully.

"I want you dead, Zelda. I was glad Link had died. GLAD."

"WHY?!" This was said with all of the frustration Zelda was feeling. It didn't make any sense!

He sighed, looking frustrated. "I thought I told you. I'm evil. That's why."

"But, why did you save me....?"

"I couldn't let the dragon have all the fun, could I?" he answered, laughing, and the cold sincerity crept through Zelda's bones. Once she could breathe again she calmed herself and relied upon what she felt in her heart.

"I don't believe you," she said, summoning up her courage.

"Why not?" he asked, frowning.

"Not after all the help you've given me, the clues, where to go, and the practice. I sensed evil when I first met you, but now it's gone." Zelda stepped forward. Shadow Link stepped back.

Zelda smiled. "See? What are you afraid of, Dark Link? You wouldn't hurt me. You're not capable."

Abruptly, he laughed. "You're too smart for your own good, Zel." 'Link' turned away, shaking his head. Zelda was stunned.

"What?"

"In the beginning, I did want to kill you. All that has changed. The rest of what I told you was a lie."

"Even about what poisoned Link?" she asked.

"I had no part in that. I don't even know what was used, when, and by whom. But I do know that the hermit in the dark woods will be able to help."

"Then why did you tell me all those things? About wanting Link dead....?"

"To make you realize that you have to rely on your instincts about who to trust. Remember your past and you will recognize the future," Shadow Link told her.

"Huh?"

"You will understand soon enough. I don't know all the answers, but there are certain things that I can just...feel."

Zelda didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. Dark Link suddenly turned to face her. "Any more questions?"

"What happened back there? Blaze suddenly turned on me. I heard someone shouting," Zelda said quickly, wanting that semi-awkward moment gone.

"Probably the guy who poisoned Link. I looked around a bit while you were out, but no one was there. I shrunk your dragon back to his normal self too."

Zelda shivered. _The man who poisoned Link... _"So what now?"

"You need to find a way to get in. I can easily get in there. Nobody can see me unless I want them to," Dark Link answered, facing her.

"Can't you make other things invisible too?" Zelda asked, and he knew where she was headed with this line of thought.

"I can try."

"So what do I call you? I can't keep saying Dark Link," Zelda asked, as he put one hand on her shoulder. He didn't answer, but suddenly everything grew dark, and Zelda felt suddenly light. "What's going on?"

His reply was dry. "Congratulations. You're invisible."


	7. Dark Woods

REVISED

Chapter Seven: Dark Woods

It was an odd feeling, being invisible. It was even stranger trying to walk with someone's hand on her shoulder. It made it rather difficult, especially since that person claimed to be the shadow of the one you loved.

Zelda and Shadow Link had slipped past the guards at the castle gate, merely by walking through them, and they were now coming to the drawbridge, which was closed and locked. A moat surrounded the castle like Hyrule's, but it was a much wider distance. She had no idea what they were going to do now. She had wanted to go the roundabout way to get to the graveyard, but being invisible made things a lot less difficult.

"Ummmm..." she began, not sure how to get his attention. She didn't know what to call him.

"What?" he asked, taking her hand and dropping his from her shoulder. They moved much faster, and by holding his hand, Zelda felt like she had regained some kind of connection with Link…the real one.

"What should I call you?"

The question caught him by surprise. "What?" he repeated, slowing down as they reached the edge of the moat.

"I said before I can't just call you Dark Link, but I need to call you something."

"Sheik," he replied, frowning at the moat.

"Sheik? Are you copying me?" she asked in surprise. 'Sheik' didn't respond. "Well, it fits anyway. So what do we do now?"

"Well, you're going to feel pretty dizzy soon, and when I tell you, be prepared to jump." Sheik moved up a few feet away from the edge of the moat.

"What? Why? What are you going to do---?"

"Now," Sheik said, and began to run. Zelda could only follow, jumping when he did, although she knew she'd never make the gap.

But they did, and abruptly Zelda felt as though she was leaving her body, and her head began to spin. But then just as suddenly, the feeling was gone, and she was back to the normal light-headedness. They were inside the castle; they had gone through the bridge.

"What WAS that?" Zelda asked, once she had regained her composure.

"That is what is called, walking through walls. And the reason we made the jump, we were light enough to make it. It was like floating," Sheik answered, picking up speed once more. "Now we have to find our way through."

"Don't you know?"

"No. I just kind of appeared in the cemetery before. But with you with me...I can't just poof there. It would be kind of dangerous. But the small stuff, that I can do."

He called going invisible, making yourself light as air, and being able to pass through walls, small stuff? Just how powerful was he? "All right," she said shakily. "So where do we go?"

"As far as we can."

By the time Zelda and Sheik found their way out of the palace and to the cemetery in back, Zelda felt she knew more about the castle then even its king did. They could have been out much quicker if she had let Sheik just walk through all the walls until they reached the back, but Zelda figured that it wouldn't do Link any good if she passed out. But they finally made it to the big marble walls of Delina's Royal Cemetery.

Zelda wasted no time, letting go of Sheik's hand and running through the wide opening. Sheik ran after her, hoping that no one was currently inside.

Zelda stopped running when the path she was running on split in three directions. Sheik caught up to her and frowned at her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I don't know, where am I going?" She felt a bit foolish.

"Look, I know you're anxious to get Link back, but you can't just go running off without knowing where you need to go."

Zelda was abashed. "All right, so show me the way."

Sheik nodded and took a left through the graveyard then headed up. They were in the oldest section of the cemetery, one could tell by the decrepit gravestones of past kings and queens. Sheik walked over to one, the third from the right, Zelda noted, and pulled it back, revealing a hidden passage. Without saying a word to her he jumped in, and Zelda could only follow.

She fell about ten feet, landing in a crouch, one hand touching the floor. Sheik stood a little ways up the dark stone hall-she could see him by what little sunlight reached inside-and he was muttering something. She walked up to him as one by one, torches lit up on the sides. They could see where they were going now.

"It's not that far, but I should warn you about the power of the Dark Woods," Sheik began, walking quickly down the passage. "The spirits inside, they're not going to let you just walk around. They're going to try to confuse you, make you seen things, stop you at all costs from doing whatever you came here to do. They won't bother me, they see me as one of them, but they'll do all they can to make you stay here forever, and never find what your way out."

Zelda swallowed and summoned her courage. "And that man lives here?"

"The spirits don't bother him either. He's been here a while now, and they either got tired of him or know that he's never going to leave. Or, he conquered whatever fears they presented him with. You're going to have to stay right with me once we reach the entrance."

Zelda nodded, not the least bit afraid. She would do what she had to do.

They continued walking; soon reaching a set of stairs that she couldn't see the end of. They went up them, and after several hundred steps Zelda's knees began to lock and her legs grew tired. But she didn't want to stop and rest, and so they trudged on, finally reaching a stone block that Zelda noticed was marked with an emblem resembling the Temple of Time's.

She immediately brought out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time, but it had no effect. Frowning, Sheik tried pushing the block. That didn't work either.

"Was this here before?" Zelda asked, a little annoyed.

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Well what?" he asked, not understanding.

"How did you get pass it?"

"It wasn't in the way before," Sheik answered, frowning.

"You frown too much," Zelda told him. "That's really odd though. Hmmmm." Zelda studied the symbol a bit more. It seemed to be a mix of the time symbol and something else. She couldn't quite put a finger on it. "You can't go through it, can you?"

"No," Sheik replied. "I already bruised my head pretty hard from trying too."

"Well, now what?"

Sheik shrugged. "You're the one with the wisdom."

Zelda sighed and stared at her ocarina. She decided to try again, glancing at the symbol, and suddenly recognizing the top part of it. It was part of the Shadow temple's symbol. Zelda smiled and played the Nocturne of Shadow. Nothing happened. Sighing, she played the first three notes of the song of time, following it by the first three notes of the nocturne of shadow.

Jack pot. The block vanished.

"Nice," Sheik commented. "Now stick close to me. If we get separated, keep going straight, and when you reach a tree with an eye carved into it, take a right."

Zelda nodded, some anxiety beginning to creep up in her.

They stepped forward, into the darkness. A dark green mist greeted them, swirling around their feet. Zelda shivered at the sudden shock of evil, surveying the area around them. There was nothing but tall, black trees with dark green vines and leaves all around, bending eerily close to them. They moved forward, walking through the maze of trees. Sheik seemed to know where he was going, which Zelda was glad of, because she didn't like the feeling she was getting in this place.

"Zelda........."

"Did you say something?" she asked Sheik, frowning.

"No."

"Zelda........."

Zelda paused, looking around the forest furiously. Someone was calling her name, but she saw no one. She began to walk again, turning back to follow Sheik.

He was gone.

 Sheik?" Zelda called softly, stopping, but there was no answer. "Sheik!!!! Can you hear me?!!" she cried, panicking. She pulled out her sword and shield and began slowly walking forward.

"Zelda........."

"Who is it?! Who's there?!" she yelled furiously.

"Go back. There's nothing here for you," a voice hissed quietly, sending shivers up her spine.

"What? No. Why?"

"You'll never bring him back. He's gone for good."

Zelda shook her head defiantly. "No. I won't believe that."

"He's dead. Cold, lifeless, dead," several voices hissed, repeating their words in a round.

"NO! I can bring him back!" Zelda yelled, not knowing who she was talking to. It was probably the spirits, trying to make her angry. It was working. "Just shut up. I know what you're trying to do," she said, putting her shield and sword away and breaking into a run. No one replied. She gave a sigh of relief and kept running. But the whispers soon started again.

"Zelda........"

"Forget about Link."

"Forget about Sheik."

"You're with us now."

"Just give up."

"You can't help him."

"He's dead."

"Cold."

"Lifeless."

"Dead."

"Shut up!" Zelda screamed, tears streaming down her face. Wiping her eyes frantically with her sleeve, she kept running.

"Link, Hero of Hyrule," a voice whispered

"Seventeen but saw seven more," another picked up.

"Fought the King of Evil and restored peace, only," and the voice seemed to give a harsh, crawling laugh.

"To die by a sickness of which there was no cure."

"May he rest in peace, protected by the Sages," another voice finished. And then all at once the voices joined in a storm of words, repeating those lines until they could no longer be understood.

Zelda sobbed at the reiteration of the memorial that had almost been dedicated to Link. How could they know something like that? She tried to ignore the words, focusing on looking forward, and she nearly ran past the tree with the eye in it. She stopped just in time.

The eye seemed to be watching her, and suddenly everything began to spin. She couldn't tell which way was right anymore. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again. Everything was still. The eye blinked at her and her mouth fell open in shock. Then, out of pure anger she punched it. A screech came from the tree and Zelda took off running to the right, not wanting to wait and see what would happen.

"Zelda."

"Go away! Leave me alone!" she shouted, barely even realizing who said her name, even though the voice sent hopeful tremors through her soul.

"Come on Zel, it's me."

Zelda stopped, mid-step. "Link?" She spun in a circle, looking for him, the hope in her heart bursting forth, and then sinking when she didn't see him.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

She jumped and turned. Link stood behind her, grinning widely.

Zelda was totally speechless but after a moment stuttered, "But, but, you're dead......"

"Who told you that?" Link asked, fixing his cap.

"I was there... I saw you die......" She blinked her tears away. No, this was too good to be true.......

"I was pretending. Someone was after me. They wanted me dead. I had to make it look like I was. I came here to find out who," Link explained apologetically, and Zelda started to cry. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."

" Link......." Zelda sobbed, and then threw her arms around him, holding him tight. Link embraced her warmly as she cried tears of joy. "I missed you so much......I was trying to find a potion to cure you, after I brought you back..."

"Well I'm here now. I never left you. So why don't we head back, and get out of this creepy forest?" Link replied soothingly, releasing her and taking her hand. Zelda nodded, sniffling.

_The spirits inside, they're not going to let you just walk around.  _The sudden thought came to Zelda and she shook it out of her head, content to have Link finally with her, after so long, after all the pain, the longing.

_They're going to try to confuse you, make you seen things, stop you at all cost from doing whatever you came here to do._

Zelda stopped suddenly, pulling her hand out of Link's grasp. __

"What's the matter Zel?" Link asked, turning to face her.

_They won't bother me, they see me as one of them, but they'll do all they can to make you stay there forever, and never find what your way out. _

It was too easy, way too easy. This couldn't be Link. Link had died. She had seen it. There was no pulse. Rauru had taken him away. Rauru would have told her if Link was alive, as would the rest of the sages. And why would he be here of all places?

"You're not Link," Zelda said calmly, and began walking away, her body shuddering with deep breaths. Link caught up to her.

"What are you talking about? Of course it's me," he said, concern etched into his voice. Zelda wished she could believe him.

"No you're not. So please, just go away," she said, and abruptly Link had grabbed her wrist and pulled her forcefully back.

"You're not going to be able to revive him," Link hissed angrily, his grip as cold as ice.

"That's what you think," Zelda replied calmly, glaring at him. "Now let go."

"He's dead. Cold. Lifeless. Dead," the spirit whispered to her.

"Go away," Zelda replied, wrenching her wrist out of his hand and pulling out her sword and shield.

"He never loved you either," 'Link' told her sneeringly. His eyes were glowing red, and his outline was becoming rather fuzzy. The words stung. Zelda faltered.

"You don't know anything. And that doesn't matter either," she replied finally. "So shut up!" She swung her sword at the blurring image before her, and it went right through. Stunned, Zelda put the weapon and shield away, seeing as they had no effect.

"Cold. Lifeless. Dead," it hissed. The image shimmered and abruptly there was a black mist with glowing red eyes before her.

Zelda quickly concentrated and used her magic on it. Immediately a white light surrounded the spirit and shrieking, slowly disappeared. Zelda gulped, taking in some much-needed air.

Link. Link. Link.

"LINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed to the wilderness. "I NEED YOU!!!!!!!"

"Dead."

"Cold."

"Rotting"

"Corpse."

Zelda couldn't take it anymore. The forest was driving her insane.

She began to run once more, dodging the trees, praying that she would reach the end; find Sheik. She came to an open field of dead grass. She couldn't see what lay beyond because of the dense mass of green fog and mist, but relying on the Tri-Force of courage, she walked bravely through the field, slowly but surely, watching her step.

A sudden scream chilled her to the bone; she knew that scream all too well.

It was Link. At least it was Link's scream. Heart pounding, she kept walking, and saw something ahead of her, something brighter. She moved a bit faster, then came to a sudden halt.

Link stood before her, his tunic ripped and bloody, one arm outstretched, reaching for her. He was deathly pale, covered in blood, dripping, limping towards her. His other hand was pressed against his stomach, holding a wound, his hand was red.

Zelda wanted to vomit. She covered her mouth and with some effort restrained it, telling herself that this was not the way he died, that this was not Link.

"Zelda.......please........help me.........." the ghostly Link whispered, reaching her. He collapsed at her feet, his body falling through her legs.

This wasn't real. This wasn't Link. Zelda couldn't look at the image. She closed her eyes and began to run, ignoring the screams as best as she could, tears once more streaming down her face, her heart black with pain. She was sobbing now, covering her face with her hands.

All of sudden, she ran into something tall and solid. She opened her eyes as she began to fall, but someone grabbed her hand and held her steady. Sheik.

"Looks like you've had a bit of an adventure," he said, searching her tearful eyes, attempting to calm her. Zelda swallowed, holding onto his arms for dear life, while he held her shoulders.

"I saw Link...." she whispered hoarsely.

"It wasn't real. None of what you saw was real," Sheik assured her, catching her gaze. Zelda found herself looking up into deep blue eyes: Link's eyes, but not Link's eyes. They comforted her anyway.

"Let's get out of here," she said weakly, in reply. Sheik nodded and took her hand, then began leading her carefully away from the field. "What happened anyway? Where did you go?"

"I didn't go anywhere. When you stopped, I stopped. When you called my name, I answered. When you walked forward, you walked through me. I was clearly visible, but you couldn't see or hear me. And then, I couldn't see you anymore. I expect it was a bit of magic by the spirits. You managed to get through it with only a few tears though," Sheik said.

Zelda stopped suddenly. "How can I be sure you're really Sheik?" she asked suspiciously, and he chuckled.

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be bringing you to the potion man's doorstop, would I?" he answered, moving aside to show her a small, but dense bush. "Now we just burn this, and voila," he said slowly, and from his pocket he drew a small white candle. With a mumble of a spell it flickered to life, and he held it up to the bush, then blew gently on the flame. The bush caught fire and burned away, revealing a small staircase leading down.

"Besides, they wouldn't try to take my form," Sheik added, extinguishing the flame and pocketing the candle. But Zelda still didn't look too sure.

"You go first," she said, and Sheik shrugged and began walking down the stairway. Zelda followed after a short mental debate, and found herself deep within a stone chamber filled with books and chemicals. A wizened old man sat at a desk in one corner scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. He didn't look up at their entrance.

"It's not often I get visitors. I'm surprised you were able to make it here. Although love seems to overcome even the impossible," the man said, his voice kind and sincere. Zelda blinked then stepped forward, and the man now looked up. "You're here, Princess Zelda, to find an antidote to the poison that killed the Hero of Time."

"How did you....?" Zelda began, completely shocked.

"How did I, a man who has been living in the Dark Woods for the last forty years know the most recent news? I have my ways."

"Your ways?"

The man chuckled. "It wasn't difficult. Your friend over there just explained everything to me." He motioned to Zelda's right

Zelda turned and gave Sheik a puzzled look. He shrugged and glanced around, then his eyes lighted on something and he frowned. "I didn't say anything."

"No, not him, keeper of the Tri-force of Wisdom, and now Courage. The one you seek to revive."

"What...." Zelda's heart leapt to her throat. "Link."

The potion wizard stood and hobbled over to her, using a cane to keep his slouched form up. Grinning he waved it at her and then to the side of the room. "I'm surprised you haven't felt him. But then again, he is very weak. The poison that was used was very strong, and there is much darkness within and without."

Zelda ran to where the man indicated, searching frantically. "Where is he?!"

"Can't see him, aye? But the shadow over here can. Why don't you ask him?"

Zelda turned her gaze on Sheik, her eyes filled with tears. "You can see him?"

Sheik nodded. "Yes. But he hasn't been here very long. Otherwise I would have known."

"Indeed," the old man said. "He showed up just before you did. Apparently my old friend Rauru supplied him with just enough power to come here. It seems he believes that there is a darker side to the poison used and that Link's spirit was needed here in order to discover it."

Zelda was still searching, the man's words only grazing her interests. "I wouldn't bother with that, girl. He's avoiding you," the wizard told her solemnly, shaking his head. Zelda abruptly stopped, a sudden sick feeling filling her stomach.

"He's avoiding me....? Why?"

"Apparently to protect you. His spirit is scarred."

"Link...." Zelda whispered, reaching forward into the air, grasping nothingness. Her sadness overwhelmed her and she fell to her knees. Sheik quickly went to her side.

"Now then, it's time to get started. My name is Horris by the way, since we neglected introductions, Horris continued, trying to ignore the scene. Through his eyes he could see the sprit of Link glowing dimly beside Zelda on her right, careful not to touch her, and the dark shadow Sheik on her left. He shook his head. "What were his symptoms?"

Zelda swallowed. "He was tired. He couldn't seem to stay awake for too long, and then he couldn't get out of bed at all."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Towards the end......he had....seizures. Then the tri-force on his hand went black, glowed a red light, and the tri-force of courage left him." Zelda recalled the nightmare with vivid imagery.

"Hmmmmmm." Horris began to pace back and forth in thought. After a few minutes he turned to Link, and Zelda's eyes fell on the blank space the wizard was addressing. "I know you don't want to do this boy, but it's the only way."

"What? What's the only way?" Zelda asked, standing hurriedly.

"You're going to experience pain like you've never felt, princess. And while it happens I need you to describe it to me with as much detail as possible. Link is unable to decipher one pain from the next. It is a horrible mix of darkness for him that he cannot understand."

"I can handle it. What is he going to do?" Zelda straightened with rigid determination. Anything for Link.

"Walk through you." Horris replied simply. "Ready?"

Zelda nodded, and closed her eyes, waiting for something to happen, but it never did. She opened her eyes. "What's going on?"

"It appears that Link is still unwilling to cause any harm to you," Horris replied, glaring at the empty space beside her.

"He's already caused me more pain than what this could possibly do," Zelda said, refusing to cry. "Even though it was never his fault that I......." She couldn't finish, for a horrible darkness descended upon her as Link suddenly stepped through her.

Horris was right. It was pain liked she'd never experienced before. But she searched, and deep beneath it all was the pure warm energy that Link himself contained, the very center of his soul that had not been poisoned. Everything else was a sleepy darkness that filled her with horror.

Flashes of evil appeared before her eyes; a skeleton swinging its arms, a scream as she felt her body freeze with pure terror, and then the last great evil, the final monster. Zelda could feel the presence of Ganondorf himself inside Link's spirit. With shuddering cry, Zelda collapsed.


	8. How Annoying

**REVISED**

Chapter Eight: How Annoying

Zelda awoke to the warmth of a burning fire. Yawning, she pulled the blanket tight around her, waiting for the return of her blissful sleep. Then, all at once, she remembered what was happening.

"Link!" Sitting up, she looked around wildly.

"He's no longer here," Horris answered her, and she froze.

"What? He left?" Zelda felt her heart drop.

"Yes. He didn't want to remain here any longer," Horris replied, moving to his desk. Zelda's face fell, and as if looking for comfort she glanced over at Sheik, who sat leaning against a nearby table. He gave her a dark glare that sent fear right through her soul.

"Sheik?" she questioned carefully, but before he could reply Horris cut in.

"Tell me, what did you feel when Link was inside you?" The way he said it he made it seem almost dirty. The princess frowned; something was wrong.

"I felt the presence of a stalchild and a redead. And...."

"And...?" Horris' eyes glinted with something Zelda found unnerving.

"Ganondorf."

"Hmmm. I'm not surprised. Link was bound to fall to the dark lord eventually."

"What?!" Zelda burst, jumping out of the bed in shock.

"Well he was never really all that strong. Anyway, let me look for a cure." Horris opened a book and flipped through it, all the while Zelda stared at him, unable to speak. It was barely even ten seconds later when Horris slammed the book shut with a loud bang. " Well, I've looked, but there seems to be no cure. Too bad."

Zelda's mouth fell open as Horris watched her innocently. Turning her head slightly she looked to Sheik for some word of help; he offered none. "You can't be serious!" she finally exclaimed, frozen in utter confusion.

"He is. Link is dead. Deal with it," Sheik finally spoke, looking extremely annoyed.

"Deal with it?!" Sheik nodded and Zelda could only gaze in utter amazement.

"Unless you'd like to join him…" Sheik continued, unsheathing his sword. _Wait, Sheik has a sword?_ She watched as Sheik walked slowly forward, then raised the sword above his head when he was in front of her. He swung it down and she threw herself out of the way just in time, smashing into a wall.

Zelda woke up with a start, rubbing her head where she had slammed it into the wall beside the bed. Looking quickly around, she found that she was alone. No Horris, and no Sheik. Immediately she jumped out of bed and ran to the door, but as she flung it open someone else suddenly slammed it shut. She jumped back in surprise and a figure stepped out of the darkness.

"Link," Zelda stated calmly, staring at the young man before her.

"Zelda," he acknowledged, tapping his boot on the floor.

"When should I plan on meeting Link for real?" she asked, ignoring the drumming of her heart. How many times would she be forced to go through this? Seeing him alive, only to be a spirit in disguise or a shadow look-alike?

"What makes you think I'm not real?"

"Link is dead."

'Link' chuckled. "I see. I'm surprised you haven't given up on me by now."

"I'll never give up on Link. I won't rest until he is alive and well," Zelda said coldly.

"Hmmm. Do you remember, Zelda, the day we went swimming in Lake Hylia?"

Zelda paused, taken in by the memory. "Link pushed me in."

'Link' grinned. "Yeah, but you swam after. You weren't mad for long. We ended up having fun."

"Whether or not we would have fun was never a question when I was with Link," Zelda replied, her patience growing thin.

'Link' ignored her and continued on. "When we got back to the castle, a little late I admit, the king was so angry… We were still soaked, and we were dripping all over the carpet, in front of one of your richest suitors. I though I had had it for sure, but you were unable to stop smiling when he scolded us, and after a minute he gave in and asked us how the water was. I think he was just happy that you were happy."

"I was happy. And I intend on being happy again. I know that I can be content in that fact that he's alive, even if he doesn't love me."

"_I_ love you."

Zelda was not shaken. "You're not Link."

"You say that, but do you believe it?" He stepped forward, now only a foot away from her. She shivered as his eyes caught hers.

"I don't want to," she admitted softly, and 'Link' reached up with one hand and cupped her cheek. Zelda reached up and held it with her own, closing her eyes.

Warm lips captured hers as 'Link' went in for the kiss. He was tentative at first, then a little more confident as she responded. She felt her heart burning, like her lungs burned for air; her need for him was so strong that she forgot it wasn't real and fell into the kiss with no fear or regret. She was on fire.

Zelda woke up because she was too hot. The fire that Horris had started was huge and at full-force in the fireplace and the thick blankets that were piled on top of her didn't help much either. She flung them off and sat up. In the middle of the room there was a table with two chairs and Horris and Sheik were sitting opposite ends, staring at each other.

"What's going on?" she asked tentatively, and they didn't answer. They just kept staring away. "Hello?! Answer me!"

"Be quiet. We're busy!" Sheik snapped, his eyes never leaving Horris'. Zelda glared at them both in frustration and waited, but only for a minute. Her patience was up. Grabbing the nearest heavy object, which just so happened to be a book, she chucked it at Sheik's head. It bounced off, but it broke his gaze with Horris.

"What the hell did you do that for?! I would have won!" Sheik grumbled, rubbing his head where the point had attacked it.

"What were you doing?" Zelda asked, as Horris did a little victory dance, swinging his cane in the air. Zelda and Sheik both blinked and turned away, a little frightened.

"We were having a staring contest, which you so rudely interrupted. I could have won, too." Sheik pouted, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair.

"Okay, I'm thinking that this is a dream too, because there is now way you'd be doing _that,_" Zelda said, watching as Sheik and Horris started playing 'ring around the rosy'. This was too weird. Without saying anything else she got up and walked out the door.

Zelda woke up again, but didn't open her eyes. This was getting a bit annoying. "_What_ now?" she whined, giving in as she heard someone talking.

Sheik was sitting in front of the fireplace with a group of little kids sitting around him, reading a book and showing them the pictures. She rolled her eyes as she saw that they were all just a bunch of little Links.

"Oh come on. There is no way Link would rather have story time than kill a stalchild or chuck Ruto at Biris," she groaned, closing her eyes.

Zelda woke up again to more talking. "Oh for the love of Nayru go away!" she yelled in aggravation, and opened her eyes to see Sheik and Horris staring at her in confusion. They were seated at a table in the far corner that was covered with books. Zelda flushed; she was finally awake.

"How are you doing? You were out for a while," Sheik asked, after a moment.

"Okay I guess. I just had a weird couple of dreams."

Sheik raised his eyebrows but didn't question, but Horris did. "So what do you remember from that experience with Link?" he asked eagerly. "We haven't had much luck figuring out a cure without your knowledge."

"It felt like a stalchild, a redead, and…Ganondorf." Zelda answered, looking from one to the other. Horris' face lit up and he flipped open a book and searched through it rapidly. Zelda could barely contain her excitement as she waited for him to speak.

"I've got it! Okfasdfk alksdfjig oogaly bodka matds pizzaroni!"

Zelda blinked.

"So what you're saying is ogda sapdock congos flaperts modloss?" Sheik asked, and Zelda turned to him, confused. Then she realized she was still asleep.

"DAMN IT!" Zelda swore, and they both looked at her in puzzlement.

"Nanga?" Sheik asked, and Zelda stood up, walked over to him, and punched him in the gut.

Zelda awoke with someone's arms around her. A little startled, she sat up to see who it was, pulling the sheets close to her body. Link was lying next to her on a large bed with white sheets in what looked like the best room in the castle.

"Link?!" she cried in surprise, and he mumbled something then opened his eyes with a smile.

"Good morning honey," Link greeted, kissing her on the forehead. Zelda was too stunned to reply.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

"What's going on?" she managed to croak, and Link laughed.

"I thought you would remember your own wedding day!"

Her eyes went wide. "What?!"

"We got married yesterday, Zel." He looked hurt. Zelda didn't like to see him hurt.

"I just can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that I just turned seventeen," she lied, hoping it would satisfy him, but he was too smart for that.

"No, something's going on. What's wrong?" So she told him, and he held her as she cried, and when she had calmed down he reassured her.

"None of that was real. I went to your room after you left and I told you that I loved you and you said the same. We got married just yesterday, the day after. You've just been having a nightmare." He kissed her forehead again in sympathy.

"Then why don't I remember?" Zelda asked, as fresh tears formed in her eyes.

Link frowned. "Well we did have quite a few drinks yesterday." And then he groaned, rubbing his temples. "Too many toasts to our future."

Zelda wanted to believe it, but she just couldn't remember. It had all seemed so _real_. Plus she thought she'd remember their wedding night. How could she forget something like that? But then Link suddenly drew her into his strong arms and kissed her lovingly on the lips. She felt so safe, and her longing for him overran her thoughts.

SLAM! The door to their room flew open and banged against the wall as Sheik stepped in the room. Zelda and Link, startled, broke the kiss and stared at him as he marched angrily over, sword in hand.

"Zelda! Wake up!" he ordered, and Zelda's mouth fell open.

"Sheik?" she questioned, and without another word he plunged his sword into Link's body, right through his abdomen and through to the headboard, pinning Link's body against the wood. Zelda screamed as the sheets turned red with his blood and his eyes glazed over, the blood drooling from his mouth. Sheik grabbed her wrist and yanked and Zelda awoke for the last time.

AN: Howdy. Hope you liked it. I was also wondering if anyone remembered that Link still had a gift to give Zelda…..hmmmmm. Along with that, I wondered how many of you thought certain dreams were real and which ones they were…hehehe. REVIEW!!!!


	9. A Link to the Past

REVISED

Chapter Nine: A Link to the Past

He held her sobbing in his arms. His shirt was soaked with tears that came flooding forth along with cries of "You killed him! Why?!" Sheik would explain when she calmed down, but it didn't seem like that would be any time soon. Zelda pounded weakly on his chest, but he did not release her.

"All that blood…why?!"

"I had to. You needed to wake up," he explained softly.

"But Link…"

"Link is already dead. It was all a dream. A dream you were not meant to wake up from."

"What?" Zelda pulled out of his arms and wiped her eyes.

"You've been asleep for a while, my dear," Horris spoke, drawing her attention to where he was seated at a desk covered in books. "Nothing we did would wake you, and you began to glow a strange blue color. Sheik was able to penetrate your mind, with some difficulty. Through a few experiments we discovered that you were under a spell designed to confuse and then please you into not waking up. To dismantle it meant destroying what was keeping you in it. Sheik got in your head and killed it. It just happened to be Link."

"But how? Who?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Whoever is behind everything, and how, you were in a vulnerable position when you fainted. Along with whatever you felt, it would have been easy to cast a spell such as that. We must come to the conclusion that you are being watched."

"Watched, but not stopped for good. Why not just come out and kill me? Physically, I mean. Whoever it is that's doing all of this already tried to with a spell and failed, so why bother with another?" Zelda had regained her composure, now that her hope for Link's revival had been realized once more. He would not be dead for long.

"A sleeping spell is much harder to dismantle, then say, a rampaging dragon. Whoever is behind all of this must have all his strength in his magic, and is weighing it against Sheik's, testing his limits, casting stronger spells each time. You can expect more attempts on your life through magic, Zelda. He, or she, obviously did not realize Sheik's existence before, but is most likely fully aware of his presence as of now. The trump card is out in the open, and as I doubt there is nothing else left up your sleeve, I suggest you double your caution. Your mission is no longer secret."

Zelda let this sink in, looking from Sheik to Horris then back again, and then, "Where's Link?"

"He left a little while after you collapsed, just to make sure you were okay. Rauru's power is waning."

"I see." Zelda felt herself grow cold.

"But tell me child, what did you feel when Link passed through you?"

Zelda sighed. It was going to be a long day.

This was pushing it too far. She was risking her life on what had been deemed a lost cause, and now an unseen force was threatening her life. And moving through her like that? It had left her vulnerable to another attack. Rauru had filled him in on what was happening, how Zelda had refused to believe that his death was meaningless, how she had made it her personal quest to find his supposed killer, and how she had turned out to be right. Apparently his shadow had been released as well-how that had happened Link was still at a loss-and was helping her, had saved her from a rampant dragon. And then when Link had gone through her, her vulnerability had made it easy for another spell to be cast.

"This is crazy. How the hell did all of this happen?!" If Link could have punched a wall with any effect he would have. Rauru just looked at him and back to the pool of water that reflected Zelda and her current company.

Link knew he was driving him nuts, but the sage was too polite to say anything. Besides, Link would be returning to his body at any moment now, and back to the blackness of frozen time. There was no consciousness there, something Link was only half-grateful for. While he was zoned out there would be nothing he could do for her, not like there was anything he could do for her in this state either.

"Damn it!" Link began, and then a whole mouth-full of curses flew off his tongue. Rauru raised an eyebrow. Sometimes, he wished that he _couldn't_ hear Link's spirit; he was awfully pissed. Of course, it wasn't really his choice. His powers as a sage enabled him to lift Link's spirit, and to see and hear him. Horris could as well, not literally, but in an extra-sensory way, and as for Link's shadow, that was self-explanatory. What he couldn't figure out was why Sheik couldn't hear him, and Zelda could do neither, and so he voiced his confusion.

"There was nothing I needed to say to them. And you saw her reaction to even my presence. I felt it best if she couldn't see me. From what you say, she's had enough of seeing me but having it not be me."

"But it is you." Rauru replied, and Link snorted.

"Yeah, a dead me in a not so solid form." Link swore again.

"I never realized what a foul mouth you have."

"Being dead will do that to you." Link turned his attention to the pool, where currently, Horris was searching through his books. "Damn it this sucks." He looked back at Rauru. "What the hell am I supposed to do like this? There's no way I can just sit here and watch while my last few minutes of possibly being conscious waste away. There's got to be something I can do."

"Well, if you really want to help you should try and think if you know of anything that might be of help to Zelda. She's looking for a cure for you, after all."

Link frowned, but then it grew into a grin. "The present I was going to give her!"

"Present?"

"I never got the chance to give it to her. After I became sick it wasn't really first and foremost on my mind."

"Get on with it boy."

"The Deku Tear. But then again, never mind, it's not worth the risk." Link grew frustrated once more at the realization. "Damn it!" he growled, and Rauru sighed.

"Worth the risk? She's risked her life several times for you, Link. What makes you think that she'd stop now?"

"You don't understand. Should she… should she actually go through with it…it would kill her. Just forget it. There's no way." He regretted even mentioning it.

"But Link, if it brings you back to life, I'm sure you could save her."

"That's not how it works. You can't stop it. It's nothing you can face, nothing I want her to face. I'd rather die the same miserable way than have her do that."

Rauru was persistent "Then why did you get it for her?"

"The way it is now, it brings luck, protection. But also, Zelda would love it because it's a pretty beautiful trinket. I would have given it to her, had I been able to think straight, but now I'm glad I didn't. Screw _my_ life; I'm not letting her get hurt."

"But once the person who is responsible for your death and the attacks on Zelda presents himself, who is going to rescue her? She needs you."

"Sheik's been doing a pretty good job, I'd say." Link paused. "That's it, no more. I want you to tell her to stop with this quest. Even if she did find a cure, and revived me, the walls holding back Ganon might break, or worse, she could die. There's no way I can let this continue. Tell her to go back to Hyrule, and tell Sheik that I'm trusting him to find out whose behind all of this and to put a stop to it. He seems like he can handle it, plus he's got the added bonus of magic, which I've never had. Tell them both."

"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Rauru asked, but Link was too smart to fall for it.

"It would only make her more determined."

"And coming from me it would do the opposite? Think about it, Link, she won't stop."

Link gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists as he stared into the pool. "She has to."

"She won't."

"She will."

"Who will make her?" Rauru asked.

"Tell her that if she brings me back, I will kill myself as soon as I'm alive. Her efforts will have proved in vain."

Rauru had been growing increasingly shocked, but at these words his mouth dropped open. "She won't believe you. I don't even believe you."

It had been worth a try, but even Link did do such a thing there would have been no point. He would be alive, and Zelda would have succeeded despite his threats. Link didn't know what to say, he was all out of ideas. The darkness inside him was pushing back into his mind, making him increasingly crazed, and he knew he would be returning soon. The light Rauru had supplied was wearing too thin to suppress the poison much longer, and Link's distress wasn't helping.

"She loves you." Three little words from a wise old man caused the spirit to look up at him sharply, hands dropping from his head. Link glared at him.

"The feeling isn't mutual."

Link yawned. He'd been doing that a lot lately, but he couldn't seem to help it. It took most of his strength for him to just sit up, and when he did, he saw that he was not in his room, and remembered that he was currently in Delina.

Zelda, Dern, and Felk had gotten him settled in a guest-room and he'd promptly fallen asleep. Judging from the darkness outside it looked like it was the middle of the night, and there was no moon or stars in the cloudy night sky. The only light for him to see by was a candle on his bedside table. Link sank back into his pillow and yawned again. So tired….

A soft sigh over to his left startled him, and looking over he saw that Zelda was asleep in a chair by his bed. Immediately he felt the guilt swirl up inside him. She was very worried about him, and he didn't like to see her worry, especially about him. He wasn't worth it.

Her hair pooled around her face as she turned over on her side, facing him in her sleep. She looked like an angel. He wondered briefly, if she would have responded, should he have actually kissed her back on the boat. Link sighed. He'd never explained to her why he had asked for her forgiveness should he not return to Hyrule after the trip, but it was something he wasn't quite sure of himself. The strange feeling that he had gotten, urging him to proceed to Delina earlier than planned, still remained a mystery to him, and it had been replaced by something darker.

There was something going on in Delina, something going on with him. There was more to this exhaustion than he wanted to admit, but he knew that Zelda was right. He was sick, possibly worse than he even realized, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something, whatever it was, was wrong. Delina was wrong. But then again, he couldn't prove it with mere feelings, and Zelda herself, as seventh sage, hadn't felt anything.

He wouldn't tell her. As much as she hated to admit it, Zelda was weak emotionally. She was strong when it came to fighting, but should someone she cared about become sick, or die… She would not be able to handle it. This was very apparent considering that his sickness, or whatever it was, had only started a few days before and here she was in his room, not willing to leave him alone even to get some sleep of her own.

Link chuckled, then coughed, even though it wasn't really all that funny. She was a rose with as many thorns as petals. Sure, she had been strong in the seven years she had fought against Ganon, but she had just been a child in the beginning, like him, and the death and disease that had been caused in those years would end at his defeat, just like that. It hadn't been permanent in her eyes, only a challenge to overcome. But this, this was the real world, no time to reverse or fast-forward, just life, no game. If her father died again, there would be no way to reverse it, no hope to change the past, he would be gone. If Link died, there would be no fairy to revive him, no reset button. Fairies only worked if death had been inflicted through battle, and if they had been presented the moment the last beat of the warrior's heart faded. If whatever he had, killed him, there would be no resurrection.

Her father's death would destroy her, and if he died, there was no way of telling. She had said that she cared about him, and that if anything had even happened to him…Whatever feelings she had for him, his death would cause her pain. He wasn't worth it. Link chuckled grimly. Maybe that was the reason for his note to her. He had sensed his own impending death. He wasn't afraid, no, his Tri-Force piece ensured almost constant courage, but he was worried, worried that Zelda might cry over his death. He didn't want her pretty face stained by tears.

Link contented himself on watching the princess breathe in and out. It amazed him that for all her beauty and wisdom, she had not become conceited or haughty, like most of the noble girls. In fact, she was far from it. She didn't even seem to realize how wonderful she was. Link allowed himself the pleasure of falling back to sleep with Zelda being the last thing he saw.


	10. The Problem with the Cure

REVISED

Chapter Ten: The Problem with the Cure

King Dremin was very pleased, but then again he wasn't. News of Link's death had reached Delina in the last hour and while he had gained a certain sense of satisfaction that Link had died, he was disappointed that he hadn't been there to see it and that it had been a cowardly death, not one from loss in battle. In the end his feelings evened out for him, his mood only a little better than what it was. He was still contemplating this news when his sister entered the room, smiling happily.

"Have you heard the news?" she asked, going to his side. Her movements were very smooth, and nearly like she was floating. Her people admired her for her grace as well as her beauty. Her long black hair flowed down to her waist, silky as well as shiny, and her eyes were a dark shade of emerald green. She was very pale, possessing porcelain skin and features, with full ruby red lips and slim curving figure.

"The Hero of Time is dead! How could I not?" he replied, allowing himself a small smile.

"That's not all." The Princess Ilia smiled mischievously. "Princess Zelda was seen at the docks."

"What?" Dremin was instantly suspicious.

"A girl described like her dressed in an odd costume was reported to have been asking about the royal cemetery." Ilia smoothed her dress, giving her brother time to ponder her words.

"The cemetery? Any idea why?"

"She was looking for the potions master," Ilia replied easily, looking away from him and into the little mirror on her ring. She smiled into it, enjoying her own loveliness.

"The potions master?" Sometimes his sister frightened him. She knew things, things she could not possibly know or couldn't be true, and yet they were. And she never offered any explanation. He had never heard of a potions master in the royal graveyard.

"Yes. She's looking for a cure for Link."

Dremin didn't understand. "But he's dead."

"Yes." Ilia sat down in the throne beside him, still looking at her ring. Dremin shook his head in frustration just as a knock sounded on the door. Ilia sighed then scowled. "My suitor has arrived, brother. You would think that they would realize I have no interest in them."

"As we have not seen the man you claim to love, the suitors will keep coming until he claims you, sister," Dremin replied, motioning for his guards to open the doors.

"He is rather busy right now," she said simply, adjusting her crown.

"He is always busy. You have not even told me his name." He was growing weary of her secrecy.

"The time will come," Ilia replied, then smiled graciously as her suitor was announced.

Zelda knew what she had to do. She needed the bones from a stalchild and the green acid that the redeads were created from. The only problem was, once you killed a stalchild it disappeared. She would have to perform a spell to keep it from doing that, and that was what Horris was currently looking up.

He had already provided her with a bottle that could contain the acid, and she now waiting for the other information. Finding an antidote to Ganondorf was not a problem, for it was his own blood that had been used in the poison. Once the stalchild and redead poisons had weakened him, the blood of Ganon had killed him. With all three working together, Link had no hope of survival.

Ganon's blood was the greatest poison anyone could hope to find, for it wasn't normal blood, and Zelda was still confused as to how it had even been obtained. It was unlikely that it could be any other part of him, and when Horris had suggested it, she knew it to be true.

All they need to counter the poison was the blood of someone who was pure and good mixed with the crushed bones of a stalchild and the acid of a redead. It sounded simple enough, but it was what was how the ingredients were supposed to be mixed that was difficult. In order to achieve the correct antidote all three had to be baked over the burning shards of something called the Deku Tear, whatever that was.

That was the other thing that Horris was investigating. Zelda was anxious for the information, as well as to start finding what she needed, however she didn't want to rush Horris and end up missing something.

"Ah ha!" Horris exclaimed, and both Zelda and Sheik looked up hopefully. They were both pacing the room. Horris had forbidden them to touch his books. "No wait, never mind," he added, and Zelda and Sheik sighed and continued to pace. Sometime later he called them over.

"I have some good news, bad news, and some even worse news," he announced and Zelda mentally prepared herself. "The good news is that I found a spell to preserve the bones of a stalchild, and I know where to find the Deku Tear. The bad news is that in order to break it one needs the Glove of Nayru, and whosoever breaks the tear will be forever cursed, hence the worse news."

"Cursed?" Sheik asked, eyeing the picture of the tear-shaped crystal.

"The Deku Tear is a holy object, and destroying it would be sacrilege. It brings luck and protection, and by breaking it its powers will seal this antidote, as well as many others, and bless the person it is used upon, but doom its breaker."

"Where do I find it?" Zelda asked anxiously.

"That's another problem. It's in the Desert of the Dead."

The Desert of the Dead? That sounded familiar to Zelda. "Isn't that in Gontar?" Link had led an expedition there in the past year, looking for any new civilizations. The area was mostly unexplored and uninhabited; it had been for hundreds of years.

"Yes. To obtain the Deku Tear you must go Gontar, to the Desert of the Dead."

"Link has the Deku Tear."

All turned as Rauru suddenly appeared in the room, looking quite disconsolate.

"What did you say?" Zelda asked, her heart rising to her throat.

"Your birthday present from Link was the Deku Tear," Rauru told her, and Zelda felt as if her heart would burst.

This was a good turn of events. "What? How? Where is it?"

"I don't know where it is, he wouldn't tell me, but he has it someplace," the sage replied, a bit annoyed.

"Why does he have it, I mean, why would he? It's supposed to be a holy object, so why would he give it to me?"

"You'll have to ask him when he's alive. As soon as he told me he had it he was averse to giving any more information about it. And then he went back to his body. It'll be some time before I can regain enough energy to bring him back again."

"Well Zelda, any idea on where he would have put it?" Sheik asked.

"He would have kept it in a safe place, or some place that he thought would be safe, maybe a temple, I don't know." Zelda shook her head, troubled. "What Link considers easy is hard for most other people, so it could be a temple, but I honestly don't know. And since it was a gift for me he would have hid it expressively so I wouldn't find it as well."

"That makes things difficult then," Horris mused, and then Sheik broke into the conversation.

"In any case, we should do what we can." He turned to Horris. "You have the spell for the stalchild, right? I'll go do that task and get the acid while Zelda and Rauru search for the Deku Tear."

Horris nodded. "That sounds like a plan. Zelda, you have the Ocarina of Time with you, am I correct?" Zelda nodded. "Then let me teach you a song to arrive here more quickly next time." Horris brought out a small wooden flute and Zelda took out her ocarina. He proceeded to play a series of notes that sounded very strange. It was what she had played in front of the block, except it was completely backwards.

"That will bring you back to my door as quickly as any of the other warp songs you possess," he told her.

"Thank you, for all for your help, for everything," Zelda replied gratefully, then turned to say something to Sheik and blinked when he wasn't there.

"He left as soon as Horris agreed," Rauru explained, noticing her confusion. "Now it's up to us to find the Deku Tear."

Link woke up in pain. He was incredibly sore; every muscle and joint in his body ached. Moving was completely out of the question. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the chair Zelda had sat in was vacant and upon further search, without moving his head of course, he saw that she was not in the room at all. He wondered where she was, and hoped she was taking care of herself for once.

The door opened then and Zelda walked in, rubbing her eyes. She gasped in surprise when she saw that he was awake.

"Link! You're awake!" There was no denying the relief in her voice. She quickly went to his side.

"Hey Zel, how ya been?" Link greeted softly, then coughed. The movement sent a sudden jolt of pain through his body and he grimaced.

"Me? You've been asleep for _two_ days and you want to know how _I've_ been?" Sometimes his selflessness aggravated her. More calmly she said, "Worried sick…That's how I've been."

Link took this in and asked, "Have you gotten any rest?"

"Some." The only times she'd left his side was to change and take a quick walk to stretch her legs. She had put the negotiations with King Dremin on hold. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I fell off Death Mountain and was pummeled with rocks," Link replied, and Zelda gave him a worried look.

"I'll go get the doctor. He wanted to see you when you awoke." She went to the door and opened it, then looked back at him, her blue eyes watery with tears. "I think we should go back to Hyrule."

Before Link could reply she left him. And go back to Hyrule they did, a much shorter trip with the use of the royal ocarina, which was with her at all times now, with the royal doctor of Delina scratching his head at his sickness. Zelda proceeded to request every single potions master and doctor in Hyrule and the lands surrounding it to come and help Link, and one by one they had failed. And then Link, the Hero of Time, died before her very eyes two weeks later, and a part of Zelda's heart died as well.


	11. The Deku Tear

REVISED

Chapter Eleven: The Deku Tear

Ilia smiled with pleasure at her mirror's reflection. She had changed her dress and fixed her hair, and was now waiting for her lover to arrive. It would be any moment now. Turning slowly from the mirror she lowered herself to her bed and gazed up at the sky above. The stars twinkled from their posts up in the night sky, but Ilia thought not of their beauty but of the fire in her lover's eyes; the passion.

Meanwhile her brother was faced with a task not so enjoyable. Blocking out the screams, he locked the door to the south tower and stormed down the hall, intent in forcing his sister to partake in the duty she thought beneath her. She had always found a way to get out of it, but not today. When he finally reached the door he paused in hesitation. He could hear faint voices coming from her room. One was his sister's, but the other was one he did not recognize. It was deep and gruff and in great haste.

He raised his hand to knock and then, "Brother, it is not polite to eavesdrop."

Ilia's voice was loud and clear and her door abruptly swung open. She stood there, a smile on her lips but irritation in her eyes, and Dremin peered into the room, looking for her companion. There was no one there.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked.

"That, is none of your business. What is it you want?"

Dremin decided that that argument was one not worth pursuing. "Our dearest aunt requests your presence, Ilia."

Her eyes immediately darkened with anger. "And just what is it that she wants of me that you can not do?"

"She is your relation just as well as mine, sister, and it is time you paid your respects."

"The last time I went to her she tried to kill me, and you ask me to see her once more? Do you really detest me so?" Ilia traded anger in for fear and helplessness.

"I remember you handled it quite well, but if you still hold some doubt you may allow one of the guards in." His sister may have been able to wrap people around her finger, but he was not one of them.

"I will not go," she challenged, and he smiled darkly.

"You will."

Ilia glared at him. "Then I cannot be held responsible for my own actions, dear brother," she snapped, and shut the door in his face.

The encounter hadn't ended the way he had imagined, but it didn't mean he hadn't won.

Dremin left his sister's door very pleased, and not only for that reason. His plans had gone through without a hitch, and all that remained, was to find the Princess Zelda.

Zelda found herself back at the Temple of Time, deciding that Rauru should rest instead of searching with her, and now she had an idea. If Link had indeed hidden the Deku Tear in one of the temples, then it would most likely be the Shadow Temple. Why?

Because Zelda hated the Shadow Temple.

The curious child that she was, she had tried to find Link's birthday presents to her before they had been given-they had always been her favorite ones and she couldn't resist- and Link had taken to hiding them in even more elaborate locations. She cursed her impatience now because if she hadn't been the Deku Tear could very well be sitting in Link's dresser drawer.

The Shadow Temple was the prime location for hiding things from Zelda. She hated the Wall Masters and the Poes, and everything else about that temple; except for Impa of course. The Shadow Temple just gave her the creeps, and not even her curiosity would get her to go in there unless it was a dire emergency, which this was.

With these thoughts in mind, Zelda played the Nocturne of Shadow and found herself back in Hyrule's graveyard, calling Impa.

"What brings you here, my child?" Impa asked, the Sheikah woman looking strangely diminished in the moonlight.

"Did Link ever come here before he… got sick?" Zelda asked in answer, shivering in the night air.

Impa shook her head. "He hasn't been here for a while."

Hyrule's princess felt the disappointment seep in but shook it off. "You've heard about the Deku Tear, right?"

The answer was once again negative so Zelda filled her in. Impa sighed. "I've been a little busy. The Shadow Temple is acting very strange."

Zelda felt her blood quicken. "Strange? How so?"

"The monsters have been trying to leave. I was just going tell Rauru when you called me." Impa looked puzzled and a little worried.

"But they can't leave, right?" The monsters were locked to certain locations, like certain geological hotspots. They were where the power was.

"That hasn't stopped them from trying. But if Link did hide the Tear somewhere in here it's possible I wouldn't have sensed it. A power like that would need protection against those who would seek it. It could be the Tear that is causing the chaos." Impa frowned. "Link should have told me."

"I've got to look for it."

"You shouldn't have much trouble. The monsters are in too much of a frenzy to bother you," Impa told her, and indeed they were.

Zelda navigated the Shadow Temple with relative ease; even the ghostly boat that brought her near the end was free of stalfos. And it was inside the next room that she found the elusive Deku Tear.

When she first opened the door, a flurry of hands scrambled past her to get out, and she watched with wonder as they disappeared before her eyes, as if their killer was invisible. This left the room free of enemies, and Zelda had only to pull out the lens of truth in order to prevent herself from walking into walls. She walked around them and found herself at the door on the right. Opening it, she found herself in a room where wooden walls of spikes began to close in on her. Quickly she used Din's Fire, and no sooner had the walls fallen to ash then the redead behind it was slowly walking past her in an effort to reach the door. She heard the scream-or was that her scream?- and she was frozen, but the redead just ignored her, reaching the door, and abruptly she was released from the terror.

And then she saw it. There, in the corner was the gold and blue chest that contained the boss key, and it was shut. There was no boss. There were no keys. The temple had not been recreated. In that chest, she knew, the Deku Tear had to be.

She approached it slowly, her pulse decreasing as she held her breath, then bent and opened it. There inside the ornamented box was a small tear-shaped crystal, no bigger than the palm of her hand. As she lifted it up she was filled with an overwhelming sense of peace and protection as well as a power she couldn't quite put a finger on. It was clear and smooth, but yet inside it were caught many colors, and if she tried to focus on any one color it would vanish and out of the corner of her eye she would see it glint somewhere else.

Holding something so beautiful, so good, how could she, how could anyone, destroy it? Zelda pulled her eyes away from the stone and put it carefully in her pouch. She would destroy it, because she would rather die a thousand deaths than have had Link suffer even one.

Zelda quickly pulled out her ocarina and played the song that Horris had taught her.

The welcome was not what she had expected. Sheik had returned, and Horris was busy with his books, but Sheik looked very grim indeed.

"What's going on?" she asked, fingering the Tear in her pouch protectively.

"Several things, none of which are good," Sheik began, stepping forward. "After finishing my own search, which turned out successfully, I came back here for a new assignment. We need the Glove of Nayru, which was supposed to be in the southern continent of Orief, but I just went there, and there's no Glove. And to make matters worse, it seems that Dremin is going to wage war on Hyrule if your father doesn't immediately surrender."

"WHAT?!" Until that last sentence Zelda had only felt that sinking feeling, but now she was horror struck.

"You never actually completed that peace treaty," Sheik said softly.

"But war? And what makes him think my father would surrender anyway?"

"Word has got around about Link's death, and apparently Hyrule has finally noticed your absence. Dremin is claiming to have you hostage. He's using you as a bargaining chip, and should your father say no, he doesn't have Link to worry about in the event of war." For all of the bad news that he was telling her, Sheik seemed remarkably calm.

Zelda closed her open mouth and took a deep breath through her nose. She needed to have a clear head. She needed to figure out what to do.

"Well I have to get back to Hyrule right away, that's obvious. But Link…" Link would never come in second. "Do either of you have any idea where the Nayru's Glove could be?"

"It should have been there, and it's not, and my books aren't telling me otherwise." Horris said, much to her dismay. She looked hopefully at Sheik.

"Did you find the Tear?" he asked, and she nodded slowly and proceeded to tell them about the shadow temple. "Well," he began thoughtfully, "if the Tear caused that kind of disturbance, we can only hope the glove can do the same, because then I'll have a chance of finding it. When I got to the temple where the glove was supposed to be, there was an unusual lack of energy there, and all the monsters, strange as they were, were all killing each other. I think the glove was taken recently, and all we have to do is find out who it was that took it. I can do that while you go back to the castle, and as for the war, if it comes to that, I'll fight in your army."

A brief light of hope glimmered in Zelda's eyes at his words, and with new energy she called for Rauru. He appeared instantly and they explained the situation to him.

"It appears you have not one enemy now, but two. But what will come first Zelda? Your country or its hero?"

"There is no country without Link," Zelda replied without hesitation.

Rauru nodded. "And so the choice has been made. Very well. The sages will look for the Glove as well. But should war come to pass, there is the matter of Sheik's appearance, if he is to fight."

Zelda looked to Sheik, confused, and saw him nod. He was nearly an exact copy of Link, and would most certainly frighten the people of her kingdom. She took another deep breath as an idea came to her, one much unwanted, but she was given very little choice, and her stomach began to twist and heart burn painfully at the very thought.

"If Sheik was to-," here she choked on the words, "was to pretend to be Link, like I had succeeded, Dremin might think twice about going into war with us."

At her words a silence grew over the room. Horris stopped turning pages and looked up from his books, his eyes full of sympathy for the forlorn princess. Sheik frowned, and Rauru looked suddenly saddened. But there was no sudden agreement, or disagreement, and Zelda found herself feeling small and foolish.


	12. Linking the Facts

REVISED

Chapter Twelve: Linking the Facts

Link self-consciously rubbed the back of his head as the king of Hyrule stared at him in utter shock. Well, if he were in his position during the current situation, he was pretty sure that he would have been catching flies with his mouth as well.

Sheik had no idea how Zelda had managed to talk everyone into her crazy plan, but here he was, dressed all in green, complete with white tights, play-acting the Hero of Time. He had even used his magic to lengthen his hair.

Zelda, who had also changed back into her royal dress, coughed slightly, trying to get her father's attention. The king responded by unwillingly dragging his eyes from 'Link' and closing his mouth.

"Father?" she questioned carefully.

"I expect you have some type of explanation for this, daughter?" the king finally spoke, swallowing roughly at the end of his question.

"I do. I'm sorry for disappearing on you father, but I had to. I know for a fact that Link was indeed poisoned," Zelda began, then went on to explain all that had happened, leaving out the part about the curse that would be involved in Link's cure. She ended with her plan; Sheik would pose as Link in order to stave off Delina's threat of war, and hopefully whoever was behind everything would slip up somehow. They would also have to wait for some news about Nayru's glove. It really wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they could do at the present time.

"All right….So what is it that you intend to do now?"

"We need to meet with Dremin and let him know that that under no terms will we surrender. Seeing 'Link' should give him quite a shock, and now that you know he has not captured me, we can call his bluff. I'm sure that if Sheik and I combine our magic we can create a type of portal that will allow us to speak with Dremin face to face." Zelda smiled. "We need not worry about war, for we have never feared them. It is they who have feared us. And when Delina's king retreats we can put all of our energy into bringing back Link."

"So, dear _aunt_, what game is it you play? Hmm?"

The old woman remained motionless in her chair and Ilia pursed her lips in annoyance, but then smiled at a certain thought. "Do you know what my hopeless brother thinks?" She knew she would get no answer so she continued like there had been one. "He thinks I'm frightened of you. Can you believe that? And all because you, blind and all, so recklessly tried to kill me. I'm sure it pains you to hear that you're little tantrum worked out to my benefit. He will never suspect the truth now. But Zelda… The keeper of the Tri-Force of Wisdom is clever, my lover tells me, and she might realize the truth sooner that I want her too. But it doesn't really matter. There will never be any hope for you, not now.

The old woman lifted her head, blind eyes confused and questioning.

"I expect _my_ _dear_ brother hasn't kept you up to date on all that has been happening, has he? But I'm no doubt sure that you have some clue." Ilia stuck out her lower lip and pouted sympathetically. "Ooooh. I'm sure you thought that the _Hero of Time_ would save you." She gave a derisive laugh. "Well it's too late for that now. I have killed him."

The frail woman's milky eyes flickered as if they could see, and her body began to visibly shake. Ilia smiled.

"It was all so terribly easy. Why, with my magic and your body I barely had to lift a hand." The princess shook her head and sighed, contemplating the two situations. "My life shall soon be wonderful, and you, you have ruined everything for yourself. You just had to open your mouth and say things that made my brother become suspicious. That's why we had to cut out your tongue." She paused.

"Silly little girl…so naïve." Ilia smiled sadistically. "I will tell you one thing, auntie, this body is no longer as naïve as it was. I've made sure of that." The only response was for the decrepit woman to hang her head. She couldn't see, she couldn't speak-her throat had become hoarse from screaming shapeless words-, and her once chance of rescue had died by the hands of her own flesh.

As if knowing what she was thinking Ilia continued. "Oh, I'm sure you would have liked him, though I did not get to meet him face to face. He was very handsome. Nowhere near as gorgeous as my beloved of course, but I don't suppose it really matters. What's gone is gone." Ilia glided to the door as she spoke, then bid her final good bye with a hiss. "Dead. Cold. Rotting. _Corpse_. Goodbye auntie." Her musical laugh followed as the door was shut and locked behind her, leaving the old woman alone once more in her private hell.

Rumors were flying in Hyrule, rumors that the Hero of Time had risen from the dead, risen again in their time of need, of war. King Dremin had not kidnapped their princess; she had only gone and returned with Link.

The citizens of Hyrule clamored at the castle gates, anxious to get a glimpse of him, or for some word of truth to the rumor. But Zelda had no time to address her people, for she was very busy. With some time and considerable effort, Zelda and Sheik had managed to combine their magic to form a circular screen that would allow them to have a direct link with King Dremin of Delina. They would be able to see and speak with each other though they lived on two separate continents. It was also very safe, because they could not cross through to the opposite side. Previously, the two had practiced using the screen to speak with people only short distances away, but now they were ready to try using it to speak with Dremin.

Zelda was very impressed with Sheik's magic, but realized, as he had told her, that it seemed to him just a compensation for not being able to use a sword with any skill. Link's talent with a blade was unmatched by anyone, and while he could use the magic that the great fairies had given him, he did not have the seemingly limitless magical power that Sheik possessed. His power seemingly beat Zelda's own, but he had promised to teach her. It was not that she did not possess the power, he had said, but it was just that she did not know the spells that seemed to come naturally to him. But this spell, he hadn't known, he had only based it off a guess, and Zelda had supplied the rest.

They looked to each other for confirmation, and then began to create the screen that would allow them to have a little meeting with King Dremin.

Dremin was sitting in his throne room, patiently waiting for his spies to return. He had sent five of them to search for the Princess Zelda, and he expected them at any moment. After all, how far could she have possibly gotten?

He needed her in his possession before Hyrule's king called his bluff or she returned to her kingdom, which he knew she wouldn't until she had found a cure for Link. It would be a tricky task however, for he knew very well of the powers of the Ocarina of Time, had seen it first hand when the girl had magically teleported herself and her hero back to their own land. Hyrule was the center, it seemed, for all things magical. Well, he knew a thing or two about magic himself, and his sister also had to possess some talent for it as well, which would explain her strange ways. After all, it ran in the blood. But he didn't overestimate himself. He knew a few spells here and there, a simple disabling spell, a fire spell, and a healing spell, but that was about all he could do. However, what he lacked in ability he more than made up for in knowledge. Yes, he wasn't ignorant when it came to the existence of magic; the screaming horror upstairs had made sure of that.

His aunt hadn't always been insane, and she wasn't nearly as old as she looked. She was his father's sister, and had once been young and beautiful. Only forty years old and she looked like she had already been dead and buried. Black magic had taken her looks away.

Sometimes, he feared for his sister. The goddesses only knew what spells she must have done alone in her room, and why she knew the things she did, and he hoped the same affliction that had cursed his aunt would not befall her. While he didn't trust his sister as far as he could throw her, and he most often despised her, she was still his blood. She was also less annoying than she had been. Four years ago, after their aunt had thrown herself at her and tried to kill her, she seemed to be far less pure-hearted then she had been. Apparently her close-encounter with the evils of the world had taken care of that.

Thinking on it now, he was actually quite thankful that the event had occurred; though the words Aunt Mirane had spoken before they had taken her tongue still bothered him. Since that day, Ilia had refused to visit their aunt, but their father had insisted, so Dremin had complied. After all, she _was_ family, though she wasn't sane. And when he didn't visit, she would scream tongue-less sounds until he did. What had irked him most of all though, was the fact that his father had never visited his sister, despite his requests that his offspring do so. But that hadn't mattered since his father had drowned himself shortly after.

Dremin was once again driven out of his thoughts by his sister's entrance. She looked happy, which gave him cause for suspicion. Wouldn't she have just gone to see their aunt?

"Brother, I do think that seeing our aunt was a good thing after all. I pity her now, after seeing her after all this time. It was good of you to make me go-I realize now how horrible it must have been for you to be the only one that ever went to see her." All of this was said in a sweet, soothing voice as she took a seat beside him. Dremin could only stare. What had brought this sudden change? He did not have time to ask, for suddenly Princess Zelda was standing in front of his throne.

"W-What?! How did--!?" The king temporarily lost control of his senses. However, Ilia was still on top of things.

"It's magic, brother. I believe Zelda is stronger than we had previously thought," she said lazily, crossing her legs.

Dremin angrily regained his composure. He should not have been so easily shocked. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Princess Zelda?" he asked icily, as he realized that Zelda's image was not standing alone in _his_ throne room, but that within the large glowing circle that presented her was a tapestry depicting Hyrule's coat of arms in the background. He knew then that she was back in her kingdom. His plan had failed.

"Well, your highness, I felt that it was imperative that I speak with you," Zelda answered, smiling courteously. "It seems that in my absence, you threatened to wage war on my kingdom, using me in your terms for surrender. Apparently I had been kidnapped without I myself being aware of that fact." When Dremin did not reply she continued. "It would also seem that the reason you so boldly decided to go to war against us was because you received the news of Link's death, and felt that without him we would not stand a chance in battle. Is any of this true, King Dremin?"

He could deny it, and he would. He thought quickly of an excuse. "The only reason I decided on such a course of action was because I received a letter from Hyrule that declared war on _my_ kingdom. I had heard from my men that you were in Delina, had run away or some such nonsense, and I decided, against my better judgement, that if we told Hyrule we had you in our custody they would think twice before sending their army to attack. And of course, Link's death _did_ relieve some of our war anxiety. He _was_, after all, you're best warrior."

"Lord Dremin. Do you expect me to believe any of what you are saying?" Zelda asked, looking very much annoyed.

"It is the truth, my lady," he replied, with as much sincerity as he could muster.

"I think you have severely underestimated my intelligence, your majesty; and I also assume my power as well. Link."

At Zelda's request a young man dressed in a green tunic and white tights stepped into the screen and took his place beside her. Dremin had only met the boy once, but that didn't mean he could play dumb about who he was. His shock also did not allow him to come up with an intelligent response. But before he could dribble out some inconsistencies in speech, his sister claimed center stage.

"Link?! But how? _I_ have Na--!" Ilia cut off her surprise, angered that she had nearly let her part in the mystery of Link's death slip out for Hyrulian ears.

Zelda was a much better actress. "You have the what, Princess Ilia?" she asked, her face remaining expressionless, despite her curious excitement.

Ilia recovered her composure quickly. "I have the cause to believe that the boy who stands beside you is not Link."

"Not Link?" Zelda replied, looking amused. "He certainly looks like Link. You _are_ Link, right?" she asked the boy beside her, and he grinned.

"Last time I checked. Although, I could be wrong, but then again…" Link held up his left hand and smiled as the Tri-force of courage shined bright from within him. He waited a moment before returning his hand to his side. Ilia was furious, and Dremin was speechless.

Zelda smiled. "He _is_ Link. It took some time, but I managed to find an antidote to the poison that killed him, and to resurrect him."

"It must have taken quite a bit of power to do that, Princess Zelda." Ilia smiled sweetly despite her anger, sending invisible chills down Zelda's spine. "So how can we trust that along with this," she waved her hand at the screen that Zelda had created, "image, that he is not just a visual fabrication of that same power in an effort to deceive us, after failing to _truly_ revive your lover?" At his sister's question Dremin straightened in his seat, his confidence regained, while Zelda's cheeks tinged pink at the way she had said the word 'lover'. Link, also slightly embarrassed, shuffled his feet and scratched his head; but his eyes soon focused back on Dremin who returned his glare.

Zelda, however, managed to quickly come up with a suitable and confident reply.

"Honestly, Princess Ilia, I don't care if you believe me or not. It doesn't matter in the least. You can think what you want to think and believe what you want to believe. But I'm sure that you will not take us lightly. Doing so would be risky at the very least, as I'm sure you realize. But, if you choose to take my words as the truth, with the proof of those same words standing right before you," Zelda paused as Link smirked and gave a small wave, "then I suggest you withdraw your threat of war against my kingdom."

"And what if we do not?" Dremin asked lazily, as if he expected his self-assurance to unnerve Hyrule's princess.

But she was not in the least unsettled. "Then Hyrule will fight, and you, Lord Dremin, will lose." Zelda regarded him seriously as his expression turned dark. "I will give you one hour to decide," she paused, "and do not give any thought to a surprise attack," Dremin visibly twitched, "because we will be ready for it." Her next words were as cold and hard as steel. "One hour."

The screen that had held both Zelda and Link abruptly disappeared, just as Dremin sprung from his seat with rage.

"Calm yourself brother," Ilia commanded him sharply, and he turned his anger onto her.

"Calm down? I'm going to lose my kingdom!"

"Not," she cut him with the word, "if you do as I say."

"Do as you say?" His incredulous tone was followed by a harried laugh. "What could you possibly do to fix this?"

Ilia stood up from her throne and went to where her brother stood, hips swaying. "Poor, misguided, wretch. Do you think it matters that Link has returned; _if_ he has returned?" Like he were a child, she gently she caressed his cheek and he could only gaze at her in confusion. His eyes quickly filled with pain as she forcefully grabbed his chin and snapped his head up, her fingernails drawing blood. "If I could strike him down once I can strike him down again. That brat of a girl will just have to see her beloved Link die once more!" She took a calming breath.

"It is time you realized my full power, King Dremin, and time, to meet my _own_ lover." Ilia withdrew her hand, and turning her back to him made her exit. He followed, unable to comprehend anything more than the pain that she had caused him.

"Well, that was exciting," Sheik said dryly, while taking off his green cap and tossing it to Zelda. She caught it deftly and held it tightly to her chest, looking slightly pale.

"I think, Sheik, that I've been ignoring the Tri-Force of Wisdom. I've been focusing so much on Link's Tri-Force piece that many of the things I should have realized before have only _now_ come to my attention." She said this slowly, as if unsure of the proper phrasing.

Sheik cocked his head to one side and frowned, allowing his hair to magically return to its previous length. "And what things are those?"

"Well for one, I should have known of Ilia's powers."

It had been obvious from speaking with the princess that she had strong magic; very strong magic. Dark magic.

Sheik nodded. "You were not the only one to overlook her strength. We knew that whoever had poisoned Link possessed great magic, but none of us had sensed, or even guessed that the darkness came from Delina's royalty."

"Link did. He knew from the beginning that there was something wrong in Delina, something dark. He _knew_. And I did not. I should have known as well."

"But you didn't, for whatever reason, and he didn't tell you."

"And I didn't ask. And when we went to Delina we never met Ilia. And I was too concerned for Link… But seeing her face to face; there was no mistaking the power that she holds." Zelda paused, thoughtful. "When she saw you," she began slowly, "she was so surprised-she said 'But how? _I_ have Na-!'." Zelda gripped Link's cap even tighter as the pieces came together. "_She_ has Nayru's glove Sheik! She must!"

Sheik regarded her words solemnly, though his chest grew tight. And then Zelda became very pale. "And why would she have it? Why would she know that we needed it? I think she did it, Sheik. I think she's the one that killed Link." Her voice was but a whisper as she choked on his name and on the answer to the question that had plagued her. Her voice was louder as she reiterated the words. "She killed Link, Sheik…" And then louder, so that her voice echoed off the walls in one tormented sob after the other. "_She killed him_!"

And then she fainted dead away.


	13. Green

REVISED

Chapter Thirteen: Green

Sheik had a lot to think about. Who he was, hell, what he was, and what he was going to do. To put it simply, everything was a mess. Ilia had somehow-they had yet to figure out how-poisoned Link and killed him, stolen the glove of Nayru, and managed to keep her plot in the entire ordeal a complete secret.

But Zelda had put the pieces together, and he was kicking himself for not realizing it sooner. At least Zelda had had a reason. She had been so distraught over Link's death, and so focused on the Tri-force of Courage that she had forgotten her own gift. But he, who had known what Zelda's every step would be, where the potions master who would figure out a cure for Link was; so many things he had known, had not known how Link had been poisoned, and by who. He had definitely not known about Ilia.

Ilia. How could he have missed that? Everything stemmed from Delina, the war, the potion master…The only thing that didn't make sense was how Link had been poisoned in the first place. Zelda hadn't glossed over the details of the beginning of his sickness, and there had been no key event that could explain precisely how and when the poison had entered his body. The easiest way would have been for him to drink it, but the taste of the substance may have been an issue. Then how?

Sheik groaned. He didn't know. He simply didn't know. And what was Ilia's purpose in killing Link? Surely not because of war. That raised another question. Did her brother know? He could have, but he could just be an unknowing pawn in his sister's game. Still, they could not afford to take any chances and assume that he wasn't an equal partner in the murderous plot. Apparently he had really despised Link, so Sheik wouldn't put it past him.

No. It couldn't be war. Then the Tri-Force? Maybe… But why kill Zelda if they weren't there to claim her two pieces? It had only been a voice, and there had been nobody to accompany the spells that had tried to destroy Zelda that day. How did that all work anyway? When Link had died his Tri-Force piece had gone to Zelda, but was that because she held another piece, or because she was the nearest person to him at the time? Or was it because they loved each other?

And the third piece, that was possessed by Ganondorf. Ilia would need that piece too if she was after the Tri-Force… So how was she to even obtain the Tri-Force pieces, if that was really what she was after? She seemed to be taking a strange route to attain them as well. And Ganondorf, he was sealed away. How could she get that piece? Unless…

Sheik's head shot up in shock. He needed to wake Zelda. She had thirty minutes before they were to speak with Dremin again, but he needed to talk to her, now.

He stared at her sleeping form, willing her to wake. When she had fainted, he had brought her to her room, and she was now lying on her bed fast asleep. He let out an impatient sigh. He had only meant to sort everything out, and selfishly, yes, tried to figure out where he belonged in the entire mess. But what he was was only a side effect. Was he Link? No. Hell, he could barely even use a sword. Was he evil? No, not anymore. Was he human? He didn't know.

He felt real, he felt human, but was he, really? And when Link was brought back to life would he go back to being his shadow?

"Why are you helping me?"

Sheik blinked, confused, and then realized that Zelda was awake. She was watching him, her head still resting on her pillow, blue eyes softly curious. He took a moment before answering her.

"I thought I already answered that question."

Zelda sat up, shaking her head. "No, not really, no."

"I fell in love with you," Sheik said, without the slightest trace of embarrassment.

"W-What?" She had not expected such a straightforward answer.

Sheik gave a small smile. "I was hell bent on destroying you at first, but that changed when I saw you. How could I not help you? Never mind the fact that you love the real Link."

Zelda blushed, but didn't deny it. Sheik's smile grew wider. "Looking at you now," he continued, "I feel differently."

"Differently?"

"Do you want me to love you?" Sheik teased her, smirking.

"No!" Zelda exclaimed, and then blushed again because she hadn't meant to be so vehement. She was also wondering just when Sheik's personality had changed so drastically.

"I didn't think so," Sheik said, taking no offense. "I think the only reason I felt that way was because I was still very much a part of Link. Granted, I was evil, like every fault Link could have had, every sin, went to me…And now I cast my own shadow. No matter how much I look like him, I'm not…. And the transformation occurred."

"I don't think I understand," Zelda said, frowning slightly.

"Your light gave me a shadow, to put it eloquently, and I became much like Link, same walk, voice, features, feelings…." Sheik trailed off, considering her. "Only now, I don't think I could truly be like him if I tried. I was cocky in front of Ilia and Dremin, and had we talked to them any longer, they might have guessed…what I am."

There was an uncomfortable pause, and then Zelda asked uncertainly, "Will you return to being his shadow when he's alive?"

"I honestly don't know. But I don't care. It's not like I have much to live for anyway." When Zelda looked like she was about to disagree he cut her off. "That's not important right now. We have roughly twenty minutes before you talk with Dremin again and I've been doing some thinking about why Ilia killed Link."

Instead of urging him to continue Zelda's eyes darkened with rage. "_I'm going to kill her._"

"I don't doubt it," Sheik continued on, "but why did she do it? I have a theory."

"A theory?" Zelda clipped her words, trying to restrain her anger.

"She's going to free Ganondorf from the dark realm."

"WHAT?!" Zelda bellowed, standing up from her bed.

Sheik stood as well. "It's the only thing I could come up with. She killed Link, right? And she tried to get rid of you as well. She can't just be after the tri-force because she would have been there to collect it when Link died, and when you were supposed to as well. And then there's the Tri-Force of power. Ganon has that. If she wants it, she'd need to release him to get it. Think about it."

Zelda was picking it up now, and she began to pace the room. "If she wanted the Tri-Force for herself than her battle against Ganondorf would have been the most difficult, despite the cowardly way she used to kill Link. And if she had really wanted me dead, she would have killed me when she killed Link, with poison. So maybe she only tried to kill me later because I wanted to bring Link back to life, and she took the glove of Nayru to prevent me from getting a cure. So why does she want Link dead?"

"Link was the only one strong enough to stop Ganon."

"And she doesn't fear Ganon, because she'd want the Tri-Force pieces of Courage and Wisdom first, if she were to face him in battle. But she doesn't want them; she wants Ganon to be free. But why?"

"I don't know." That was as far as he had gotten in his thoughts.

"But at least we know something." Zelda stopped pacing and looked at him. "You need to get Nayru's glove from Ilia."

Sheik lifted an eyebrow. "Me?"

"You can use your magic and teleport there, and walk through walls and find it. No one will see you if you turn invisible, except maybe Ilia. Just don't let her catch you, even if she senses your power, which she might if you use too much of it." Zelda paused uncertainly. "Of course, you don't have to if you would prefer not to. I can't order you, even if I am princess, and I won't." She waited for his reply; head high, her heart beating fast. She needed that glove. She couldn't go, even if she could figure out how to do it with her magic. It would take too long. If she wanted to resurrect Link, she would need the glove. The glove was his life. There would be no point in bringing him back only to die again because of the poison. So what would it be? Would Sheik risk his life to help her?

"It would be best if I left during your meeting with Delina's royalty. I can't appear as Link again, and Ilia would be otherwise occupied."

Zelda let out a sigh of relief. He would go. "Thank you."

Sheik nodded. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't help, did you?"

Biting her lip nervously she gave a slight, sheepish nod. Sheik rolled his eyes and grinned. "Silly princess. Anyway, we should get ready for the meeting. Let's give 'em hell."

Zelda nodded. "I would dream of nothing else."

When the time came, Sheik and Zelda recreated the screen that had allowed them to talk with King Dremin and his sister, and when the two countries were connected, Sheik took his leave, winking at Zelda with one green eye then vanishing. Wait, green?

She must have imagined it. It was a good thing that once the barrier was created she did not need Sheik to help maintain it, or otherwise their plan would not have worked.

Dremin's smirking face met Zelda's eyes when the screen cleared. His expression sent a wave of nervousness through her system but she remained calm as she spoke.

"So King Dremin, what have you decided?"

"We," he began his eyes glinting murderously, "are going to war."

AN: So then, who wants chapter fourteen? evil grin


	14. The Glove of Nayru

AN: I do suggest everyone rereads the story before reading this chapter. Not only will it refresh your memories but I have revised all of it. Honestly, a lot more could have been done to make it better, but I prefer to spend that time on my original stuff. Mostly what I did was clean it up a bit and added a little more detail. I apologize for taking such a horrendously long time to update this story, but I had reached the point where I just couldn't write this story anymore; I'd lost the flow. But here it is, finally, and I hope you guys like it, though it is rather short compared to my other chapters.  This story is nearly over…

Now, on with the story, sorry about the long author's note, and I give warnings about strong language in this chapter.

Chapter Fourteen: The Glove of Nayru

Sheik slid between the palace walls, searching for the Glove of Nayru. He wasn't at all certain where to look, and was now having doubts over whether or not the glove was even in the palace.

Would Ilia have kept it in her quarters? Or under strict guard? His best bet was to use his magic and try to sense any power that might be coming from somewhere inside.

He could feel four different types of magic pulsating within the castle walls. The first he assumed was Dremin's own. It was very weak, but dark. The second could only be Ilia's; a huge dark power that rivaled Sheik's own magic, and maybe even surpassed it. And then there were two magic areas that resonated with light, and not darkness. Both were very faint and almost non-existent.

One had to be Nayru's glove. Ilia must have done something to it in order to dull its aura.

So Sheik headed towards the first source, which was somewhere south of where he had entered. He found himself in the southernmost tower, drawing ever closer to the weak magic that pulled him there.

At the top of the tower he found two guards stationed in front of a heavy wooden door. Keeping hope at bay, walked through the door.

The Glove of Nayru was not there.

But what he did find was an old, decrepit woman sitting on a chair.  She was obviously blind, and Sheik could think of no reason why she should be guarded so carefully.

Her head turned abruptly, and her sightless eyes found him, saw him. He stiffened. How could she possibly seem him? He was invisible to all and she had eyes that could not see. But he knew that she could see him, and it was from her that he could sense the light magic coming from. She was not evil in any way, far from it in fact, and she was under no secret guise.

He walked slowly over to her, then came to rest on his knees by her side. Her head tilted downwards and her eyes came to focus on him.

"You know that I'm here, don't you?" he asked softly, so that the guards would not hear.

The old woman's eyes widened slightly, and then she nodded. "Uuh ah oogh?" she asked. Sheik winced; they had cut out her tongue.

He answered the question he thought she had asked. "Only a shadow…that's all. But you must be more than that…else you would not be here so imprisoned…"

The woman shut her eyes, looking pained. Without thinking, Sheik reached for her hand, allowing his own to turn corporeal once more.  Her brittle fingers immediately tightened around his own, and he had a fleeting feeling that her spirit was of someone much younger than her body suggested. He felt an overwhelming urge to help her.

"I'm looking for something…the Glove of Nayru…have you heard of it?" he asked, and the woman frowned and shook her head. Sheik contained his sigh and gave her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. "If I can, I'll come back and help you, but now I have something that must be done."

Her eyes opened then, and she smiled. It seemed her face had not made the action in a long time, but Sheik could not help smiling back. And then he felt a small pressure on his hand as she squeezed it in return, then let go.

Sheik stood, and returning to his non-corporeal form, left the room and the mystery inside it.

Zelda stared at Dremin in shock. He would choose war?

Dremin smiled at her. "Dearest princess, don't tell me you're surprised."

Zelda lifted her chin. "I expected you to make a wise decision, but I should have realized that you were not fit to make one," she said coolly, and Dremin's eyes flashed with anger.

But he quickly calmed. Zelda, however, was not so calm. Outwardly, she had appeared to have recovered but inside her heart was beating furiously. Why would Dremin wage a war he could not possibly win? And where was Ilia? She was not with her brother this time…Unless…Zelda's blood ran cold.

If Dremin had not known his sister's plans, he knew them now. Ganondorf had once taken over Hyrule, and he could do it again. And with Delina backing him…

"You should not underestimate me, princess," Dremin said smoothly.

Before Zelda could reply another voice cut in, "oh? Am I late? I didn't realize…"

Ilia glided into the room and sat delicately on her throne, then smiled charmingly at Zelda.

The Princess Zelda snapped.

"You vile, loathsome, murdering bitch!" she snarled at Ilia, who looked momentarily surprised at the outburst.

"My my, someone has a temper," she chided.

Zelda shot her a venomous glare and Dremin glanced uneasily between the two women.

"We're going to defeat you," Zelda told her angrily.

Ilia waved her off. "How exactly? With whatever weak power you possess? No, I'm quite certain that Hyrule will fall."

The screen in front of Zelda vanished and the princess took in a shuddering breath.  Ilia had shut down the communication. Bitch.

Zelda had hated Ganondorf, yes, but Ilia…Ilia had killed Link.

Her hands flew to her mouth as she realized what she had said to her. Ilia would know now that Zelda knew she had been the one to poison Link. That was unfortunate. But when Zelda had seen her, she'd been unable to control her rage.

And what of Sheik? Would he find the Glove and make it back safely? There was so much at stake.

Zelda sat down tiredly on her throne. Ilia had killed Link. She was going to release Ganondorf from the Dark Realm. Delina was waging war against Hyrule. And Sheik was currently in danger.

But Zelda hadn't noticed anything amiss when Ilia had come in…Granted, she'd been too angry to think properly, but Ilia had neither seemed pleased or nervous. It could then be assumed that Sheik had not been discovered.

She had to figure out what to do. If Ilia truly planned to free Ganondorf, then Hyrule would need help against the two allied foes. Orief would help. Orief, strictly a war kingdom, had aligned itself with Hyrule long ago. Whether or not Dremin realized that was still in question. He probably did, and he most likely knew that it didn't matter.

Together, Ilia and Ganondorf would be unstoppable.

There was a room, high in the west tower, and in that room stood Sheik.

His eyes traveled quickly over the contents of the bed chamber, taking note of the silk bedcovers and the enchanted ceiling that displayed the sky above.  This could only be Ilia's room.

The room was fairly normal looking, though particularly extravagant. The only thing that really stood apart as unusual-besides the ceiling of course-was the full-length mirror that sat facing the bed. It was oblong in cut, and framed with silver with ornate inlays of black.  Sheik could instantly tell that this was one of the powers he had sensed.

Had his search ended to no avail? Where was the glove?

Sheik glared at the mirror in frustration and ran a hand through his dark hair. And then he stopped, and stared.

His mouth curled up into a smirk, and green eyes glinting, he stepped into the mirror.

Zelda was growing incredibly anxious. If Sheik had been caught, she would lose him as well. If that were the case, Zelda was on her own. Orief would have to be called, and Zelda would face a war like no other.

But if they succeeded; if Sheik brought back the glove and they revived Link…Yes, there was the curse to think about, but she didn't care about that. Link and Sheik could stop Ilia, and if they had to, Ganondorf as well. And they could prevent war.

Hyrule would either prevent complete destruction, or fall to darkness.

A tear slipped down her cheek and Zelda wiped it away; she had shed too many already. But she couldn't help but whisper, like she had so many other times before, "Link…I need you…"

"And you shall have him in soon enough."

Zelda jumped up from her throne; Sheik had returned.

He was smiling victoriously, holding out something for her to see. She looked down at it then at him.

"Nayru's Glove," he told her triumphantly.

Zelda looked back down at the glove.  It was small and delicate looking, made of white silk; a woman's glove, a goddess. A blue triangle decorated the back of it; a blue gem adorning an otherwise simple piece.

Nayru's Glove.

Without warning, Zelda burst into tears.

AN: So that was chapter fourteen…hope it lived up to your expectations. Review!!!

One more thing; I'd like to reply to a certain reviewer calling themselves 'the critic'.

Firstly, even if you think you know the plot, it's not fair to post it for others to potentially see. It ruins it for them. Also, if you are going to call yourself a critic, give proper critiques, don't just tell me that it's "so damn obvious to anyone who's read this thing through exactly what that bitch Ilia's trying to pull that it's pathetic'. In case you failed to realize, I actually came right out and said what Ilia was trying to do. I should certainly hope it was obvious, because I'd be really frightened if you were still confused. Though, I haven't quite mentioned everything. But it shouldn't be that hard to put together anyway, at least, I wouldn't think it would be.

And please, don't presume to know my plot. A lot of it has been revealed already, because this story is almost over. I can't keep the readers in the dark forever or till the very last moment, and it would be silly if I did.

One last thing, if you're going to tell me how pathetic and easy to figure out my plot is, then why give me a four out of five? And why on earth would you care if I updated?

Don't get me wrong, I can take a critique. I honestly have no self-confidence and self-esteem, and I am well aware that my writing is less than stellar.  But I do have common sense.


	15. Resurrected

AN: Well, there wasn't too long of a wait for this chapter, was there? This chapter is also a little short, but I don't feel as if I could have, and should have made it longer. Anyhoo, I thought I'd reply to reviews this time around, which is something I don't normally do. Besides of course, responding to critics. My replies are at the end of this chapter, so read on and review!!!

_Candles flickered violently then came to easy shining rhythm as Sheik stepped into the room. The tall black sticks of wax were scattered at various at heights, the only light in the small circular room that the mirror had been a portal to. Items of various magical natures covered the shelves indiscriminately with no given order. It was surprisingly messy, and Sheik winced slightly. Such powerful objects should not have been just tossed around._

_Taking a calming breath, he closed his eyes, letting his mind become clear and focused. He searched for the faint power of light that he had felt among all the dark; it would not do to search blindly among so many dark objects. Who knew what curse could befall him should he inadvertently activate something._

_His eyes flew open as he located the source of power he had been searching for. Carefully stepping to the back left of the room, he spotted a flash of glittering blue behind a withered hand. The black eyeball that was situated in the palm watched him suspiciously as Sheik peered closer, then finally reached around it and snatched the glove out from behind._

_He now had the Glove of Nayru, and it was time he returned to the princess._

****Sheik sighed deeply at the memory. The mirror room had held many horrors in it, horrors he hadn't deigned necessary to give further inspection to. There was something suspicious about a secret room with no protection except to those with no gift of puzzles. And to have the glove so carelessly thrown into its position...

But it was the Glove of Nayru and he had sensed no curse upon it.

Simply speaking, it had been too easy.

And now he watched Zelda kneeled before the Master Sword in gentle prayer, Link's body between the two, his hands crossed across his body in death's pose. The Hero of Time still wore the loose night-shirt and baggy pants he had worn when he had died, his feet bare.

It was time to bring the hero back, and Zelda had ended her sobs to do so immediately.

Sheik could see Zelda's silent tears trickle down her pale skin and splatter the marble floor, but the princess was oblivious to it as she murmured words of prayer to the Goddesses. To her right were three small bottles. One held a substance that was putrid green in color; another carried several small bones of a stalchild. The proper spell found, Sheik had easily managed to kill and retrieve the pieces needed. A gleaming dagger, simple in design, lay beside the last bottle, which was empty.

On Zelda's right was a black cauldron, ready to be set on a rack that lifted it a foot from the floor. A small pile of wood lay under it.

The princess of Hyrule opened her eyes and lowered the hands she had held together in prayer, revealing the Deku Tear. The Glove of Nayru she wore on her right hand, and it hummed in anticipation of the deed to come. Brought together, the two powerful objects glowed and pulsated, and Zelda had grown light headed as her heart beat accelerated to a dangerous speed. But that could be ignored.

With one last lingering glance at Link, Zelda turned towards the pile of wood and whispered a word for fire. Instantly, the pile burst into flames of red, gold, and orange. Raising her hands over the fire, she carefully placed the Deku Tear in her gloved hand, then drew the other to her chest in a tight fist.

Sheik wanted to look away, wanted to stop her, but knew that he couldn't. It was her decision, though what curse could befall her no one knew. Zelda only cared for Link's life. Not her own.

Princess Zelda took a deep breath and crushed the Deku Tear.

A gasping cry slid involuntarily from her throat as white-hot pain flared from her hand and spread to the rest of her body. Sheik rushed to her side and quickly grabbed her wrist and kept it secure over the flames, preventing her from pulling back. Zelda, her eyes shut and her breath coming in as short gasps, didn't notice. Only when the pain faded and she sunk against a hard muscled shoulder did she realize that the shadow was holding her up.

She forced her eyes open and Sheik carefully shook her body as they rolled back. Zelda focused on him, her body unnaturally weak, and then looked past him, to Link's still form. She had to do this; for him.

Turning her head back to face the flames, Zelda twisted her hand palm down, and released the broken shards of the Deku Tear into the flames. The flames instantly turned a bright green, and summoning energy she did not have, she struggled out of Sheik's grasp to reach for the two bottles by her side. Unbidden, the shadow mage set the cauldron above the fire.

Zelda's hands shook as she poured the contents of both bottles into the cauldron, one at a time. The redead acid hissed and sputtered as it struck the burning metal, and turned dark blue, then black as the stalchild bones dissolved into it. Tugging off Nayru's glove, Zelda clasped one smooth hand around the hilt of the dagger, and as Sheik waited with held breath, brought the blade to her palm and slit it open.

She winced slightly at the sting that it brought, but did not cry out. Squeezing her fist over the cauldron, she let her blood drip inside. When the first bead hit the liquid inside, the concoction gave a violent shudder until relaxing, slowly faded into silver.

The princess looked up at Sheik with anxious eyes. Was this the antidote? Was it completed? It looked as the book had said it would…

His slow nod was all the assurance she needed, and she carefully scooped up the antidote using the third bottle. She was surprised to find that the substance was quite cool, and she quickly turned back to Link. Dipping a finger inside the bottle, she proceeded to dab Link's face with the smooth, thick matter. She smeared some on the center of his forehead, on his eyelids, and on his mouth, then topped the bottle and placed it gently down beside him for further usage. And clasping her hands together, began the prayer for resurrection.

It was a chant that had been forbidden for many ages, but Zelda hardly cared. With the Tri-Force, the knowledge of how to do such a thing had come to her, and she would use it. Link's death had not been natural. He had not died of old age, disease, or anything of the sort. He had been murdered. Surely the people of Hyrule would understand the use of such a dangerous spell. Resurrection was serious business, and if not done properly…But Zelda could do it, even though her body ached and screamed at her and her mind threatened to slip into unconsciousness.

Sheik watched as Link's body began to glow, white light surrounding him. It began faint, but after five minutes of constant prayer, he had to shut his eyes against the brilliance of it. Thirty seconds later, he knew he could open his eyes when he heard a gasping breath and soft thump.

Zelda had collapsed, and Link…Link was breathing.

Gasping was more like it, his back high and arched as he struggled for air. Sheik darted forward, scooping up the antidote while simultaneously checking on Zelda's statues with eyes only. The steady rise and fall of her chest let him know that she still lived, and the shadow hastened to give Link his remedy before the poison could take him again.

Link sputtered and coughed as Sheik forced the silver beverage down his throat, but it took effect almost immediately, and soon both princess and hero were breathing quietly beside each other.

And Sheik laughed with relief, the sound echoing off the walls of the Temple of the Time, and sliding outside like a rush of cool wind. He sank to his knees then, his laughter turning to tears of joy. Zelda was fine, Link was alive, and Sheik still had form.

Suddenly, the six sages appeared before him and he grinned at them, and between tears and smiles, it almost seemed as if all was right with the world again.

AN: SOOOOOO. I've got a lot of thanks to give out to my reviewers. You guys really are quite wonderful! So, for those who reviewed chapter fourteen:

Hadria: I'm glad you like it and that my Link and Zelda aren't tiring! And you are very encouraging!

Zeldaisthebest: Thanks!

Got-lotr: /gets fat eating all the muffins/ oooooooogh…. /loses fat by chasing Link and Sheik across Hyrule/ You like my plot! Yay!

Babydoll72489: /ponders over potential sadness/ I'm so torn! Happiness now though, right? Now that Link is alive.

Faceless Serenity: Genius? /weeps with gratitude/

Zonr-00: :p yourself! /hangs head/ I know, I'm sorry for not updating in like, forever.

Bulma BriefsYue Lover: See? I did update soon! Well, sooner than usual… /sheepish/

Kawaii Elf Girl: /is glomped/ More Sheik shall be yours! Wait for it! evil grin

The Critic: Hmmmm. You know, I really can't tell if you're being sincere or sarcastic… And I'm usually a good judge of that… But anyway, hehehehehehe.

Bao Blossom: I have so many things to say to you! What a wonderful review! I swear I could not stop grinning when I read it! Thank you so much! Yeah, I wasn't sure if the flashbacks were confusing or not, but I wasn't gonna dwell on it…My style rocks??? Arigato gozaimasu!!!!!! A few of my friends dislike my writing style…so I've often wondered if it's any good…As for description, it's not my forte and I'd like to think I've gotten better at it. When I revised this story, I was in shock at how little description I originally had, but I think it's improved a bit now grins. I know what you mean about pacing…If there is one thing besides grammar that drives me up a wall, it's pacing. Sometimes I read things that go sooooooooooo slow in some spots, usually the ones I don't care about, and then they zoom by the interesting parts. So I generally try to spend time on the things I think people will want time spent on.

I could never leave out Link! Link is my hero!!! /huggles Link/ Yay! OOC free! I really do try! Speaking of writer's block, this was such an awesome review that I really tried to get myself into writing mode to make an update as soon as possible! Well, it took me a bit longer, but I've been caught up with having my life drained away as I babysit and making my sister a dress for a wedding she's going to… And time flies by! THANK YOU! /huggles and dances the 'favorites list dance'/

Sage of Hyrule: See? Sheik didn't disappear! Yay! Thanks for the confidence booster! /hugs/

Zelda-lover: /does 'favorites list dance' again/ I've continue! Woohoo!

Thanks for all the great reviews! So review again! /waves master sword menacingly/

Oh yeah! I'm writing a Sheik/Zelda story now, so check it out! Please? It's based on the idea that Sheik could have been a seperate entity from Zelda during OoT. It's called, 'Shadow of a Sheikah'.


	16. Author's Note

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't touched my writing in a while...been so busy and trying to work on my own original stuff. I'm going to try and update this fic as soon as possible, but I have a favor to ask of those of you who are still with me. Anyone willing to read my original story? I need some testers.

Love you all and thanks for being so patient.

-Aeris


	17. Finally

She awoke to the warm sunlight shining down on her face. It was bright, and she brought an arm over her face to block it out, still half asleep and her memory not quite up to date yet.

"Zelda."

Her arm felt funny, she realized, like it was half asleep and half in the pain of growing. It was very uncomfortable. She was also very thirsty, her head pounding.

"Zelllllll..." she vaguely heard again someone call again, and she shot up in her bed to look for the source.

Link was sitting in a chair beside her bed, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his hands. He grinned at her when their eyes met. He was wearing loose black pants and a blue cotton shirt, barefoot, his hair slightly messy from sleep. He looked none the worse for wear, just slightly skinnier than he had been, with dark circles under his eyes. All her aches suddenly went away.

"I was trying to tell you something before I died," he began, his expression softening into a warm smile, his eyes sparkling. "And now that I'm alive again, thanks to you, I'd like to finish that sentence."

Was she awake? She saw the golden glow of the tri-force of courage, beaming from the back of his hand. Zelda stared at him, eyes wide, a glorious sensation filling her from the tips of her toes to the depths of her heart and beyond.

"I've always loved you," he said simply.

She let out a shuddering and threw herself into his arms, only vaguely aware that her right hand wouldn't grasp his body as tightly as she wanted it to.

He held her tightly in his arms, his body warm and solid and completely wonderful. She felt him start to cry. "Idiot," he said, "risking your life..." He kissed her forehead fiercely, grasping the back of her head in one hand. "...thank you..."

And that's when she cried, too happy to say anything.

/

Elsewhere, Sheik was deep in thought. Zelda was fine, despite a certain side effect that had developed, Link was alive and healthy, and Sheik was still here. He was fairly certain that Zelda's new problem could be fixed, so he wasn't entirely concerned, but what bothered him right now was the war against Delina and figuring out exactly what to do.

Ilia planned to bring Ganondorf back, with almost certain intent to take over Hyrule and everywhere else.

And who was that old woman inside the castle? It barely even needed to be said that there was something deeply wrong with that situation. He fully intended to rescue her when he got the chance.

Urgh. He didn't know what to do.

A cough to his left startled him, and he glanced over to see the King watching him with a raised eyebrow. He winced as several potted plants that he had unknowingly been air juggling abruptly crashed to the ground at his lack of concentration. Zelda's father shook his head a little, but did not really seem to care. He cleared his throat again as Sheik watched him expectantly.

"Do you...Do you think we will be able to find some sort of solution for Zelda's...condition?" he asked, his voice low.

Sheik nodded immediately. "She managed to bring the dead back to life...and Link of all people. I don't imagine the goddesses being able to keep a grudge for too long."

The king seemed relieved, then after a moment said, "By the way, that dragon the two of you brought back keeps setting my courtyard on fire. Could you...do something about that?" He twitched slightly, and that was when Sheik noticed that the edges of his robes were slightly singed. Sheik sweat-dropped and nodded.

"Good." And Zelda's father walked away.

Sheik pushed himself to his feet. Things would be okay, right?

/

They didn't let go of each other for a long time. Eventually the tears subsided and they simply held each other, bathing in the other's warmth. But then words could not be avoided.

"Zelda," Link broke away slightly to look at her. "I'm so sorry for all of this...and I don't want you to worry anymore..." He paused, looking mournful."I was so upset...so angry...I tried to make Rauru prevent you from helping me...I said things I shouldn't have...but _I love you_." He regarded her seriously.

"And I've always loved you," she replied, her cheeks heating up despite the fact that it was fully obvious and that he loved her back.

He beamed at her, and without another word, leaned in quickly and kissed her.

Her breath hitched and her eyes slid shut, her lips eagerly responding to his own. The kiss was warm and smooth and tenderly done and she could only melt into him.

It was like they had already won.

/

AN: So, that was short, but hopefully sweet. I'm attempting to get back into the story, so I figured that would be a good little dip into the zelda fanfic pool. I'd like to think that my writing has improved. Any thoughts?

Oh, and to answer the question about the original story, it's sort of like a mix between a Grim's fairy-tale and a romantic comedy anime. It's about this girl who is trying to hide the fact that she has magic energy associated with light, because if the Sons of Fenrir-the Queen's royal guard-find her, then she'll most likely be sacrificed to keep the evil that haunts their land from taking over.

Do I still have takers? :)

REVIEW!!


	18. Ilia

Link stared at Sheik.

Sheik stared at Link.

Link scratched his head.

Sheik scratched his own.

Link brightened, then unsheathed his sword and sliced expertly at the air.

Sheik grinned and held out his hand to produce a huge ball of fire.

The king of Hyrule sighed.

"You know, I was around to see you often enough but it's still weird to me," Link said, shaking his head at Sheik.

"I'm starting to not really look like you anymore too," Sheik replied. "No offense, but being your twin wasn't something I had an interest in." It was true of course-Sheik's eyes were no longer blue, but a stunning shade of leaf green. His hair was also now a dark brown. The caster claimed his new looks were not his doing.

"Gee, thanks," the Hero of Time said dryly. "Of course, your haircut was making me look bad anyway."

Sheik glared and was about to reply when a loud cough interrupted him.

"If you two are done, we have some work to do," Zelda said quietly. Both boys immediately straightened and stood at attention. The princess' right arm was kept hidden by a long white cloth and she moved gracefully over to their position. Link leaned down to kiss her cheek and earned a heartwarming smile.

Her arm, as she had found out, was now shriveled and practically useless. Breaking the Deku Tear had cursed it, but in her opinion it was well worth it. She had been shocked to discover the ailment, but had accepted it easily. Because after all, Link was with her again.

Pausing slightly, Zelda began to sum the situation up. "Ilia is behind everything. She poisoned you, Link. They threatened us with war, and you said that it was far too easy to retrieve the glove of Nayru, Sheik." She looked at them both.

"What concerns me is the old woman in the cell. She was far from evil and needed help. Why was she there? She seemed defenseless enough," Sheik commented thoughtfully.

"She could know something potentially useful. Any way we could break her out of there?" Link asked.

Sheik grinned slyly. "I am a master of sneaking. Just didn't get her earlier because it was too dangerous while trying to retrieve the glove."

"And you could do it safely now?" Zelda questioned, looking hopeful.

He nodded. "I'll go now, if that is your wish."

"It is," the princess replied. "At the very least we'll have rescued her..."

"So hop to it then, Mr. Shadow," Link said, quickly clapping twice to emphasize his point.

Sheik's left eye twitched as he glared at Link. He did however, do as asked, disappearing from the room and entering Delina's castle. But not before throwing a small fireball at Link's feet. He chuckled to himself as he barely caught the tail end of Link's yelp and subsequent swear.

The smile left his face as he snuck through the palace walls and found his way back to the old woman in her cell. She looked up at him immediately as he entered and his heart wrenched a little at the hope he suddenly felt eminating from her.

He kneeled down next to her, making himself corporeal. "I need you to come with me. I've gotten a little better at the whole teleport thing...no more landing in walls or halfway through floors." He smiled. "And I'm sure you don't want to stay here."

The woman gave a short nod and he gently placed his hand on her own. "Trust me?" he asked. She gave her answer by grasping his hand within her own and squeezing it desperately. Sheik held tight and helped her to her feet before quickly teleporting away.

/

Link's almost sort-of copy appeared in the middle of the throne room with the old woman still clutching his hand and leaning weakly against him. Zelda gasped and had a chair immediately brought over for the woman to sit in. She took it carefully, her unseeing eyes scanning the room in great surprise, first finding Zelda then Link and then Sheik, the last almost in reassurance. Sheik took a seat beside her on the floor.

Zelda issued a few commands before kneeling in front of the woman. "My lady...I am Princess Zelda. We only wish to help you...You are safe here." She paused. "If you'll allow me to...I will find it much easier to understand your situation if I could simply touch your forehead." Zelda realized how odd it sounded, as well as how difficult it was to word. "It's a gift of mine, my lady."

The woman breathed in and nodded, closing her eyes. Zelda gently and carefully placed her left hand on the woman's forehead. She shut her eyes as well, breathing evenly in and out. A few moments later she was gasping in surprise and drawing her hand away.

"What, what is it?" Sheik asked urgently, as Link knelt beside her in concern.

The woman opened her eyes, her expression pained.

Zelda had tears in her eyes. "This woman...is the Princess Ilia."

"What?" Link asked, his hand going to his sword. Sheik stared in utter confusion.

Zelda fervently shook her head and stood. "No, it's alright. She's the _real_ Ilia. Her aunt has devoured her body. She switched their souls with her magic...The real soul of Princess Ilia is here...but her body has been taken."

Ilia trembled visibly. Sheik took her hand immediately and squeezed it comfortingly.

Link frowned, a bit shocked, his hand no longer on his weapon.

"I'm sure I could fix it, my lady. Do not worry..." Zelda leaned over and kissed the top of Ilia's forehead. "You will be taken care of, and all will be well." Her voice was soft and reassuring.

Ilia bowed her head. Sheik could feel her relief and he squeezed her hand once more before letting go as several servants came over.

"My servants will take good care of you...you're in good hands," Zelda told her. Ilia was helped up by one of the servants and her eyes somehow found Zelda once more despite her blindness.

And the princess of Delina smiled for the first time in a long time.

/

AN: I know, I know. It's short. But, what, like, two reviews for that last chapter? Boooo. Anyone out there? /cry.

Seems like all the zelda fic fans are afk or my story no longer interests them. Well, shame on me for not finishing earlier. Anyway! This is short, cause I'm trying to make sure people still want this story.

I DO want to ask if any of my readers are artists. I'm trying to put together a website for my original story, and I suck at drawing. I need someone to do all the artwork for the story. I'll be posting it on a nifty website that a friend is going to build for me and I want illustrations for each of the characters, along with specific scenes drawn up. Think of it as an old fashioned story book. I then hope to promote the site at an upcoming con while in the artists alley.

Once again, I can't draw to save my life. So, if anyone is interested, just message me. I'd like to see a few samples of your work, and if I like them, I'll request a character to be drawn up. That will determine how similar our visions are. I'll also post a few scenes of my story so that you can determine if it's something you'd like to draw for as well.

So yeah, please? I promise it'll be fun. Line drawings are fine, no photoshop skills necessary unless you happen to be good with the program. Otherwise, I can do all the color and what not.

The goal here is to promote both my writing and your artwork, and try to make something of it. Afterall, no better way for a story to capture attention than with pretty pictures. And a story is a good backbone for the pretty pictures as well.

Thanks all!! Review!!


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